Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: Mel Spivak who wrote (791)	9/14/1998 4:07:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 1722

New US Viagra prescriptions jump after 7-week drop Monday September 14, 2:45 pm Eastern Time NEW YORK, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The number of new prescriptions for Pfizer Inc.'s (NYSE:PFE - news) blockbuster anti-impotence pill, Viagra, jumped for the first time since mid-July in new weekly U.S. data released Monday by market research firm IMS Health. IMS said new U.S. weekly prescriptions for the pill rose 5.4 percent to 85,349 during the week ending September 4, compared with 81,014 counted in the prior week. Dresdner Kleinwort Benson drug analyst Premal Pajwani told Reuters the latest data represented at least a temporary turnaround for Viagra -- whose new U.S. weekly sales had been declining steadily since IMS reported 113,657 for the week ending July 17. ''It's a nice uptick for Viagra,'' Pajwani said, speculating sales in the latest audited week might have gotten an exceptional boost as men pre-purchased supplies ahead of the Labor Day holiday which fell on September 7. Conversely, he predicted IMS next week would report a dip in Viagra sales for the week ending September 11 because fewer prescriptions no doubt will have been written during the holiday week. ''So it's not really a big deal that new prescriptions went up in the September 4 week because numbers must be sustained if they are to have meaning,'' Pajwani added. Refills of Viagra jumped 14 percent during the latest reporting week to 96,101, IMS said. The research firm added that total U.S. prescriptions, which include new prescriptions and refills, rose 9.8 percent to 181,450. ''It was a nice week for Viagra,'' said Merrill Lynch drug analyst Steven Tighe, who predicted sales would trend higher in October and November as Pfizer increases its level of direct-to-consumer advertising for the drug. New weekly U.S. prescriptions for Viagra peaked in the week ending May 8 at 279,000, several weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave marketing approval to the world's first anti-impotence pill. It is expected to have worldwide sales of at least $1 billion during its first full year on the market, according to IMS as well as many Wall Street pharmaceuticals analysts. biz.yahoo.com