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

To: BiGx who wrote (6160)	10/26/1998 1:03:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9523

BiGx, CNBC reported just now that PFE and Neurogen (NRGN) is developing a sleeping pill that reportedly has very few side effects. This may be one of the reasons for PFE's strength today. The following is a Sept. press release which gives more information on the drug: news.com INSOMNIA PROGRAM -- NGD 96-1 The NGD 96-1 IND was filed by Pfizer Inc., with whom Neurogen is collaborating to develop drugs to treat sleep disorders, anxiety, dementia and obesity. Pfizer plans to begin clinical studies this fall and will conduct all human clinical trials of Neurogen's sedative/hypnotic compounds from the collaboration. The initial double-blind Phase I human clinical trial of NGD 96-1 will evaluate the pharmacokinetics and safety of single doses of the compound or a placebo administered to several dosing groups of normal healthy volunteers. Pre-clinical studies of NGD 96-1, discovered by Neurogen, demonstrate that the drug candidate enhances sleep onset while significantly reducing many of the side effects associated with current sedative/hypnotic therapies such as cognitive impairment, tolerance, physical dependence, hangover effects and interaction with alcohol. Worldwide sales of currently marketed prescription drugs to treat insomnia totaled $1.7 billion in 1997, according to IMS data. "The synergism between Neurogen and Pfizer creates a powerful combination. Pfizer's ability to develop and market new drugs is complemented by Neurogen's proven expertise in discovering receptor subtype specific drug candidates," said Harry H. Penner, President and CEO of Neurogen. "Neurogen's insomnia program is the third drug development program to begin human clinical trials from our four collaborative programs with Pfizer."

To: BiGx who wrote (6160)	10/26/1998 3:56:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9523

10/26 14:55 Watch for Viagra fakes, trade commission warns By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Embarrassed and misinformed consumers who are afraid to go to their doctors are wide open to fraudsters selling impotence "cures", the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Monday. The FTC issued a warning to the public about such con artists, who also prey on people looking for miracle diet pills. "Fraud is trendy. It rides the edge of new waves," Sondra Mills, an FTC lawyer who has prosecuted two cases against impotence hucksters, told a conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. And there is nothing trendier than impotence, thanks in part to the huge success of Pfizer's <PFE.N> Viagra, the first pill for impotence. "It's in. It's very big, and it is attracting increasing talented and well-financed con artists," she said. The worst offender so far was 30-year-old David Brady, who sold at least eight different fake products to unsuspecting customers. He made up important-sounding companies to back his products, made up medical journals and misquoted well-known impotence specialists as backing his claims. The FTC says Brady and his companies used direct mail to sell a range of unapproved products with names such as "Alprostaglandin", "The Celldenaphil-pc System", "Ranak-pc", "Oral Phentalomil", "Urophil" and "Vaegra". Pfizer sued Brady. He settled out of court and changed the name of his "Vaegra" and "Celldenaphil" products (the name Celldenaphil sounds like sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra) and marketed them as "safe" alternatives to Viagra. So the FTC went after him. "We had an investigator order some 'Alprostaglandin'," one of the products Brady was selling by direct mail and on the Internet, Mills said. It contained supplements commonly found in health food stores, including L-arginine, saw palmetto, homeopathic remedies and ginseng. Checks with doctors, homeopaths and alternative medicine practitioners confirmed none of the ingredients could help impotence. The FTC had a court freeze Brady's assets, which were worth between $3 and $4 million. There were no clinics or laboratories -- Brady worked out of a post office box and a warehouse in Atlanta. But people were taken in -- by the tens of thousands. "In a little over a year Brady sold his products to 150,000 customers," Mills said. Brady had featured his "clinic" in one of the brochures, with a picture of a shiny new high-rise. The address in Seattle given was actually a post office substation. Postal employees there testified that dozens of hopeful men had come in there, looking for Brady's offices. "Everyone who purchased a Brady product believed that he was dealing with a legitimate medical enterprise," Mills said. Dr. Irwin Goldstein of the Boston University School of Medicine and an expert in impotence said his name was used by Brady and his clinic got flooded with calls and letters. "Many men are so embarrassed and don't want to speak to their physicians," he said. But impotence could be caused by serious disease, such as diabetes, and it is vital for men to get proper physicals if they develop erectile dysfunction. Mills said impotence has become such a big subject that the FTC wants to warn everyone about such scams. "If the product is advertised as effective for treating impotence -- and no physician's prescription is necessary -- forget it. It won't cure the condition," the warning reads. "If the product is promoted by a "medical organization", call your physician to check the credentials," it advises. "Phony 'clinics' and sham 'institutes' are touring bogus cures for impotence." Also, if a product claims its effects are scientifically tested, this should also be checked with a doctor. moneynet.com@NEWS-P2&Index=0&HeadlineURL=../News/NewsHeadlines.asp&DISABLE_FORM=&NAVSVC=News\Company