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

To: Frostman who wrote (9109)	6/4/1998 10:00:00 AM
From: RealMuLan	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 23519

Jun 03, 1998 (6:43 PM ET) - The Motley Fool Evening News Biotechnology company Vivus (Nasdaq:VVUS - news) plunged $1 11/16 to $7 1/16 after independent researchers reported that the company's impotence treatment MUSE (an acronym for medicated urethralsystem for erection) was not as effective as previously shown. The new study found that only 27% of patients using MUSE were able to achieve sufficient results for intercourse. That's significantly lower than the roughly 65% success rate in the company-sponsored study originally reported in the respected New England Journal of Medicine. The men in the new study also experienced more severe side effects -- 40% reported penile pain or burning sensations, and just 18% opted to keep using the drug at the end of the trial. Vivus CEO Leland Wilson said the discrepancy between the two studies could be due to more detailed instructions on how to use the drug in the earlier study. Prescriptions for MUSE have plummeted 70% since Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - news) launched its impotence pill Viagra in April, and some investors believe pharmacists overstocked inventory of the MUSE product in 1997 in anticipation of demand growth that did not materialize this year.