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Biotech / Medical : Zonagen (zona) - good buy? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Claud B who wrote (2905)	3/21/1998 2:12:00 PM
From: phbolton	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7041

No, being second may mean losing completely. They will have to prove being better than Viagra. Just as good means no approval. Looking through the literature it seems that Pfizer, and others, are already working on the next generation of leads which may be based on blocking specific receptors using methods similar to what they are doing on obesity.

To: Claud B who wrote (2905)	3/21/1998 4:23:00 PM
From: Hank	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7041

Claud, I'm not saying that there are no advantages to being second. That is why Bristol-Myers Squibb and ICOS are trying to develop a competitive product. With every drug there is always room for improvement and with the right marketing strategies a competitors product CAN take market share away from the leader. However, it is very difficult and usually requires a massive sales campaign. That is why BMY and PFE have been aggresively expanding their sales forces with the goal of doubling their size. Others are following suit. It's interesting to note that in the press releases about Viagra last week, the fact that BMY and ICOS are racing to develop similar drugs was pointed out but there was no mention of ZONA or SGP. BMY is the furthest behind in this race since they not only don't have a drug but are in the early stages of establishing a research effort in this area. Yet, they were mentioned as possible competitors for PFE's Viagra and absolutely NO mention of ZONA and SGP. From a marketing standpoint, I would think SGP would have made certain that they were mentioned in this article if they were serious about filing an NDA in the US but they remain as quiet as a church mouse about the entire project. I don't care how carefully you try to put a positive spin on what is happening with ZONA and SGP, the fact is that the evidence leans heavily against their success with Vasomax. If I were a gambler willing to bet on the success of Vasomax, I'd be more inclined to invest in SGP than ZONA. At least SGP is a sound investment in it's own right. Hank