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To: Anthony Wong who wrote (783)	9/14/1998 10:42:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 1722

Bloomberg: Pfizer's Viagra Set to Be Approved by European Union Tomorrow Bloomberg News September 14, 1998, 10:16 a.m. ET Pfizer's Viagra Set to Be Approved by European Union Tomorrow Brussels, Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Pfizer Inc.'s Viagra is set to be approved by the 15-nation European Union tomorrow, a step that would revive the impotence drug's sales, which have slowed after a record-breaking U.S. launch. Jochen Kubosch, spokesman for EU Industry Commissioner Martin Bangemann, said the dates of availability of Viagra and whether the costs will be reimbursed under national healthcare plans will be up to individual EU countries to determine. ''Mr. Bangemann will sign tomorrow morning, barring technical difficulties,'' Kubosch told a press briefing, adding it's ''highly probable'' the final approval will come tomorrow. European approval for the drug would boost sales of Viagra, after U.S weekly prescriptions for the drug slowed to about 168,000, having topped 250,000 in June, according to IMS Health Inc. Viagra was the best-launched drug, earning $411 million in sales in its first three months on the market. The introduction of the drug in the Europe Union is expected in October. The European Union's committee on medicines in August recommended the commission approve the drug. It's unclear whether Viagra sales in Europe will equal those in the U.S., analysts have said. Europe is the third-largest market for Pfizer, behind the U.S. and Japan. In the U.S., insurance companies pay for Viagra, although some have set limits on the impotence treatment, which can cost about $10 a pill. Pfizer intends to start Viagra sales while it asks regulators to set reimbursement policies, said Andrew McCormick, a company spokesman, on Aug. 25. It is too early to say whether the drug's cost will be reimbursed, he said. The European Union comprises Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. The EU committee on medicines asked for a clear label warning of the drug's ''undesirable side-effects,'' which may include impaired vision and headaches. Viagra received the backing of the European Medicines Evaluation Agency, an expert panel that advises European regulators on drug approvals, on May 29. Pfizer's shares rose 2 1/8 to 102 3/4 in New York. --Rudy Ruitenberg in the Amsterdam bureau (31-20) 589 8507 and

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (783)	9/14/1998 10:48:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1722

09/14 09:42 UK tells NHS doctors: don't prescribe Viagra yet LONDON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Britain'S Department of Health told doctors on Monday not to prescribe Pfizer Inc's <PFE.N> anti-impotence drug Viagra to National Health Service patients until further notice, citing worries about its cost. Health Secretary Frank Dobson said media coverage had created expectations that could prove a serious drain on NHS funds and lead to other patients being denied treatment. "I cannot allow this to happen," he said in a statement.