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Biotech / Medical : PFE (Pfizer) How high will it go? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Perry who wrote (3783)	6/29/1998 8:05:00 PM
From: BigKNY3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9523

Since Viagra is pioneering breakthrough therapy for ED, you can anticipate shots and arrows to be aimed at it. Remember, Prozac was under attack for at least two years by the media and Church of Scientology (causes suicides and violence) until the story became tiresome. Prozac went on to become the #2 product in the US. You can anticipate that the Viagra stories will continue throughout 1998 and possibly 1999. Particularly ,since the WSJ writers think they will win a Pulitzer for their Viagra coverage (3 writers, Freedom of Information requests). They must be disappointed everytime the FDA restates their position that Viagra is safe and effective as described in the approved package insert. Overall, I believe that any major PFE weakness due to Viagra stories are buy opportunities particularly prior to the second quarter earnings report on July 15th. Have PFun! BigKNY3

To: Perry who wrote (3783)	6/29/1998 8:32:00 PM
From: B.REVERE	Respond to of 9523

Perry, it appears the only way that pfe will stop the b/s is by coming out with a statement that addresses the earnings report. Until that time, analysts who missed the boat on pfe will continue to play the misinformation game to the ever gullible and mostly uninformed media. Whether the w/s rag or cnbc's band of "reporters" have something to gain by printing or giving misleading and hysteria-like reports that were witnessed today is strictly theoretical. What is annoying is that the deaths involved with viagra are never spoken about in context of the 2 million+ users of the drug nor their age groups' typical mortality rate over a three month period. It's journalistic sensationalism at its best and the truth be damned. However, numbers don't lie and when a pfe mouthpiece finally comes forward with a statement like, "we are very comfortable with this quarter's numbers", the stock will make its move. Until that time, people like Blair from DLJ can say whatever he wants and look like a prince. Will someone please come forward from pfe and make this prince crawl under that rock that he calls home. By the way, does pfe have an investor's relations phone number? They deserve a call. Later,

To: Perry who wrote (3783)	6/29/1998 10:24:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9523

UPI Science News Report: Valigra deaths number 30 Monday June 29 9:36 PM EDT NEW YORK, June 29 (UPI) - Reports say about 30 men have died and 70 others have suffered serious adverse reactions after taking the impotence drug Viagra. The report, first published in the Wall Street Journal, said the nonfatal reactions include seven heart attacks, eight strokes, four blackouts, and six serious vision problems. The manufacturer, Pfizer Inc., New York, estimated that 2 million people in the United States have taken Viagra since it was approved in March. Viagra also has been approved in Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland, Morocco, and Kuwait. ''If there are only seventy reactions that's pretty good,'' Raymond Woosley, head of Pharmacology at Georgetown University, told United Press International. But he added there may be as many as a hundred unreported cases for every one that is reported to the Food and Drug Administration. And the FDA reports are often ''sketchy,'' says Woosley, who reviewed the reports. Woosley told UPI that the basic problem for Viagra was its very success. About 50 percent of all drugs must have modifications to their warning labels once they are out in the market. ''No drug is ever perfectly safe,'' said Woosley. But in this case, he said, ''So many people are taking so many pills in such a short time,'' adverse reactions surfaced more quickly than is the case in most drugs. Woosley is especially concerned with Viagra's potential interaction with various blood pressure medications. Viagra does lower blood pressure and in combination with certain other drugs may lower blood pressure too much. This did not show up with the several thousand who took part in the trials, but it looks like it is occuring with some of the several million who are taking Viagra on the market. Many of the reports Woosley saw mentioned that patients were taking various blood pressure pills. One drug that should be especially watched if taken along with Viagra is Hytrin, a drug orginally taken for high blood pressure, but is now used in treating prostate conditions. Susan Cruzan, a spokesman for the FDA, said the drug is still considered safe and effective for the intended patient population and that the FDA will continue to monitor reports. Mariann Caprino a spokesman for Pfizar told UPI that ''the experiences we're seeing are in line with what we saw in our clinical trials and the drug remains safe and effective when used appropriately in patients who have been properly diagnosed.'' ''Yes, there are people who have taken the drug, had sex and died. There's no definitive link between the deaths and the drug,'' added Caprino. In fact, people have died of heart attacks during sex long before Viagra was introduced, Woosley told UPI. But he said no good figures on these types of non-Viagra deaths are kept, making it difficult to determine Viagra's full impact. ''I can tell you more about how many pieces of baggage were handled by American Airlines today than I can tell you about the number of heart attacks during sex or the number of adverse drug reactions,'' said Woosley. Woosley called for the adoption of a system such as those that are in place in Britain and France where government employees are paid to discover and report adverse drug reactions. (Written by Ed Ungar in Toronto) Copyright 1998 by United Press International All rights reserved