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Biotech / Medical : Pharma News Only (pfe,mrk,wla, sgp, ahp, bmy, lly) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (205)	6/4/1998 12:03:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 1722

Viagra Competitors' mixed fortunes Wall Street betting on promising leads in search for new impotence remedies The Faber Report CNBC June 3 - Call it life after Viagra: For some companies seeking to make their fortunes treating erectile dysfunction, the astounding success of Pfizer's drug Viagra has been a boon. For others, it's been bad news. This week in San Diego, the American Urological Association is holding its annual meeting. And the also-rans of impotence treatment are there strutting their stuff. PERHAPS NO COMPANY has seen its value and fortunes dwindle because of Viagra more than VIVUS. Once a darling of the stock market, this company's key product, Muse, has been decimated by Viagra. Muse uses a transurethral suppository to deliver the hormone prostaglandin, which had been a relatively large seller until Viagra came along. At the AUA conference, VIVUS reviewed some of the numbers. What had been an average of 8,000 prescriptions written per week for Muse has fallen by roughly 70 percent. And analysts are now forecasting a second-quarter loss for the company of as much as 42 cents a share. The hope among those few people who still own this stock is that men who have tried Viagra and failed to get results will come back to Muse, allowing for some bounce back in prescriptions. There has thus far been no increase in the price of the stock. It's a far different story for Zonagen, a controversial company whose stock price fell sharply when it announced an investment from Schering-Plough and increased after the success of Viagra. Zonagen presented results to the AUA that it has presented before - namely Phase 3 trials of its drug Vasomax. That's an oral formulation of a drug called Phentolomine that was approved for use in humans by the FDA in the 1950s to help enhance blood flow. One year ago, Zonagen reported that Vasomax was effective in allowing for intercourse in 42 percent of the 453 men in the trial versus 22 percent of those men who responded to a placebo. Those are rates far below those achieved by Muse in its trials, but at levels that analysts maintain will support approval of the drug given its good safety profile. On Wednesday, analysts at CIBC Oppenheimer and Volpe Brown were applauding this data, although it came out a year ago and these same analysts had expected Zonagen to file with the FDA for approval before the end of 1997. As you might expect, shares of Zonagen are off more than 10 percent Wednesday on those comments. The search for the next Viagra doesn't stop there. MacroChem, a small company that's been traded publicly since 1986 and posted revenues of $129,000 in 1996, has seen its stock move on hopes that its transdermally delivered drug for impotence will work. The company's previous efforts at delivering drugs such as Rogaine transdermally did not succeed. MacroChem presented a Phase 2 study of its topical gel, which is also prostaglandin-based, at the AUA conference. The company says it achieved response rates sufficient to allow for sex in 80 percent to 90 percent of the 114 patients studied. While urologists I've spoken with are skeptical of the efficacy of such transdermal treatments, the company says it is looking for partners to allow it to pursue a Phase 3 trial for the drug. msnbc.com

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (205)	6/4/1998 12:09:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1722

Zonagen Stock Continues Decline On Concerns About Impotence Drug June 04, 1998 11:20 AM NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Shares of Zonagen Inc. continued to fall Thursday after trial results presented at a medical conference earlier this week cast doubt on its lead product's ability to compete with Pfizer Inc.'s blockbuster impotence pill, Viagra. Zonagen shares (ZONA), which fell 15% Wednesday, were down $4.50, or 14.4%, at $26.75 on Nasdaq volume of 694,900 shares in late-morning trading. Average daily volume is 380,000 shares. The test results revealed Tuesday at the American Urological Association meeting in San Diego showed that while Zonagen's impotence pill Vasomax works and is safe, it was less effective than Viagra. Researchers noted, however, that the two drugs haven't been directly compared in studies. Scientists presented results showing that 37% to 45% of about 300 patients taking Vasomax got better erections than without the drug. Pfizer's (PFE) Viagra, by contrast, helps about 70% of impotent men. Moreover, some doctors worry that Vasomax could lower blood pressure and cause cardiovascular side effects, although this wasn't seen in the trial. In the past, Zonagen's clinical trials have been controversial. Several short sellers have attacked the company's testing as flawed. Zonagen, of the Woodlands, Texas, is collaborating with pharmaceutical giant Schering-Plough Corp. (SGP) to develop the drug and is expected to file for government marketing approval this month. The drug was approved for use in Mexico last week. -By Jennifer Fron Mauer; 201-938-5287; jennifer-fron.mauer@cor.dowjones.com Copyright (c) 1998 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.