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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 (654)	8/20/1998 6:49:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 1722

Viagra Poised for EU Approval Next Week, La Libre Belgique Says Brussels, Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- European Union regulators are expected to approve Pfizer Inc.'s Viagra impotence pill for sale in the 15-nation EU in the next nine days, La Libre Belgique reported, without citing sources. The ruling comes after the European Medicines Evaluation Agency, an expert panel that advises European regulators on drug approvals, gave the drug its backing in May. The drug will go on sale at different times in EU countries, depending on how long governments take to set prices; French pharmacies will be able to start selling Viagra in October, while Belgian pharmacies are expected to begin carrying it in December, the paper said. EU residents have been traveling to buy Viagra in pharmacies in Andorra and Switzerland since it became one of the best-selling U.S. drugs following its introduction in April. (La Libre Belgique 8/20, 1) quote.bloomberg.com

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (654)	8/20/1998 6:59:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1722

Viagra to Be Reviewed by EU Next Week; No Approval Date Set Bloomberg News August 20, 1998, 5:31 a.m. ET Viagra to Be Reviewed by EU Next Week; No Approval Date Set Brussels, Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Pfizer Inc.'s Viagra will next week face scrutiny by a committee of European Union drug regulators, who'll recommend whether the European Commission should formally approve the sale of the impotence drug, an EU drug regulator said. Philippe Edouard Brunet, an official in the European Commission's pharmaceutical-products screening division, said the committee will meet ''to discuss two or three questions they still have'' about Viagra. The scrutiny of the world's best-selling impotence treatment coincides with an international conference in Amsterdam next week, attended by representatives of Pfizer, Pharmacia & Upjohn, Inc., Astra AB and other companies involved in the market for such drugs. Viagra got the backing of the European Medicines Evaluation Agency, an expert panel that advises European regulators on drug approvals, on May 29. Final approval from the commission, the EU's executive agency, usually comes two to three months after EMEA approval, Brunet said. He wouldn't confirm a Belgian press report that the drug will be approved by the end of next week. Viagra became one of the best-selling U.S. drugs within weeks of its April introduction, and black-market sales have been reported around the world. EU residents have been traveling to buy Viagra in non-EU countries such as Andorra and Switzerland. Pfizer, the second-largest U.S. drugmaker, said it could introduce Viagra in 50 countries by the end of the year if it wins EU approval. Viagra won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the EMEA's counterpart, in March. The FDA said last month 39 men taking Viagra had died but a link to the drug hasn't been established. --Alison Jahncke in the Brussels bureau (32 2) 285 4300/ph news.com