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

To: chukles who wrote (4458)	7/19/1998 10:35:00 AM
From: chukles	Respond to of 9523

Arthritis drug may become next big seller By John Hendren, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Drug makers, eyeing Viagra's runaway success with profit envy, expect the drive for arthritis relief will yield the next wonder drug. Some industry experts believe Celebra, a painkiller that cuts inflammation but avoids the stomach-damaging effects of aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen, could outsell the impotency drug by millions of dollars a year. Celebra is the first of a new class of super painkillers that could be on pharmacy shelves within months. And industry watchers believe millions of Americans will gladly toss their bottles of common painkillers for an alternative that saves their stomachs. Some analysts predict Celebra will outsell Viagra, the lucrative Pfizer Inc. impotency treatment that became the fastest-selling drug in history its first month. ''That's what I would put my finger on as the next blockbuster drug, not only in terms of medicinal value but in terms of cult following,'' said Stephen Tang, a drug industry specialist with A.T. Kearney, a management consulting firm in New York. Typical estimates call for annual Viagra sales to reach $3 billion by 2002. Celebra sales could eventually top $4 billion. Celebra is part of a class of drugs called cox-2 inhibitors, so named because they block the inflammatory enzyme cyclooxygenase. Aspirin and similar anti-inflammatory drugs do that too, but they go too far, also blocking the cox-1 enzyme that protects the stomach lining. Doctors believe the new class of painkillers may also provide a significant side benefit. Patients are more likely to get better faster, or improve more profoundly, if they're willing to take their medicine and stay on it. Celebra's manufacturer, Monsanto Corp.'s Searle unit, is expected to ask the Food and Drug Administration for an expedited six-month review by September. If that happens, the drug could be on the market by early next year in the United States and late 1999 abroad. Having tested Celebra's effects on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and dental pain, scientists are researching signs that Celebra might help prevent colon cancer and Alzheimer's disease, in which cox-2 is believed to play a role. Merck & Co. is about six months behind in developing a rival painkiller named Vioxx. Glaxo Wellcome PLC, Johnson & Johnson and Roche Laboratories also have cox-2 drugs on the way. Home \| News \| Community \| Sports \| Business \| Life Marketplace \| Index/Search \| Yellow Pages Write to Us \| Help Visitor Agreement \| c Copyright 1998 Cox Interactive Media