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Biotech / Medical : VVUS: VIVUS INC. (NASDAQ) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Gene Voss who wrote (7280)	4/19/1998 9:47:00 PM
From: James Baker	Respond to of 23519

Gene, What is your point about telling everybody to try Viagra. Some have said that there is NO effect on normal men, although Jim Lamb gives glowing report of his use but no effect for his wife. Jim

To: Gene Voss who wrote (7280)	4/20/1998 8:35:00 AM
From: g.w. barnard	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 23519

gene, i was not aware of this new delivery devise, sounds to me like vvus ought to liscense from this company? is it possible?? gw By Jonathan Birt LONDON, April 20 (Reuters) - Powderject Pharmaceuticals Plc on Monday predicted huge market potential for its needle-free impotence injection, riding on the coat-tails of a breakthrough tablet launched this month by Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE). Far from being a threat to its own product, Paul Drayson, chairman and chief executive officer of the Anglo-U.S. group, said Pfizer's pill Viagra was expected to massively increase the market for impotence treatments, which to date have been inconvenient and sometimes painful. "The male impotence market is going to grow significantly with the launch of this oral treatment," Drayson told Reuters in an interview. Earlier, PowderJect announced "encouraging" Phase I trial results from its supersonic powder version of established impotence treatment Alprostadil, which it said showed the fast-acting drug could be administered quickly and painlessly. The PowderJect system -- which is already being explored by five of the ten biggest drug companies in the world for use with their own drugs -- accelerates drug particles to supersonic speed directly into the skin. Although Alprostadil is highly successful at inducing erections, to date it has had to be administered either through a needle directly into the side of the penis or through a pellet inserted into the top of the penis. Analysts said last week pent-up demand for an alternative treatment was shown by dramatic early sales of Viagra, with some forecasting it will become one of the biggest-selling drugs of all time. "The Holy Grail in this has been to come up with a tablet that works. Pfizer's Viagra has done that," Drayson said. "But in around 20 percent of cases it won't work, and the next line will be locally administered Alprostadil. Our aim is to develop the best locally-administered method -- a gentle injection." Viagra, which has to be taken an hour before making love, acts by improving blood flow to the penis and enhancing response to sexual stimulation through inhibition of an enzyme, phosphodiesterase. Alprostadil, which can work in less than 15 minutes, helps dilate blood vessels to increase blood flow into the penis and cause an erection without sexual stimulation. "The market to date has been held back because the drug that does work -- Alprostadil -- has to be delivered in a way that is relatively unpleasant," Drayson said. PowderJect's version, which is not expected to reach the market until 2001, would compete directly with Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc's (NYSE:PNU) (SWED:PHU) CAVERJECT, where Aprostadil is injected into the penis with a needle, and Vivus Inc's (NASDAQ:VVUS)'s MUSE, where a pellet is inserted into the urethra. Drayson estimated these forms of administration could cause some degree of pain in around 30 percent of cases. "They are invasive and they hurt. What Powderject aims to do is take the same drug and administer it using a much more gentle, non-invasive powder injection," he said. "We have seen that PowderJect can deliver the drug painlessly to the penis and get the required effect -- namely an increase in penis rigidity." Although two of the 98 injections administered in the Phase I trial resulted in some local discomfort, Drayson said changes INTERRUPTED Copyright 1998, Reuters News Service