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Biotech / Medical : Monsanto Co. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: twt who wrote (501)	11/11/1998 4:40:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

Monsanto, American Home Drugs Cut Death Rate in Heart Failure Bloomberg News November 11, 1998, 2:55 p.m. ET Monsanto, American Home Drugs Cut Death Rate in Heart Failure Dallas, Nov. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Drugs sold by Monsanto Co. and American Home Products Corp. can extend the lives of patients suffering from heart failure, according to two new studies. The studies add to positive news for patients with the debilitating and life-shortening condition, in which a weak heart can't properly pump blood. Yesterday, a study showed that Astra AB's Toprol-XL drug could also slash the death rate in heart failure patients when given on top of standard care. The new studies, released at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Dallas, may also lead to greater use of the drugs, which are already approved and used for other types of heart patients. ''We were delighted'' with the results, said Bertram Pitt, a researcher from the University of Michigan who led the company- sponsored study of Searle's Aldactone drug. ''This is going to have a major public health benefit.'' In the Searle study, Pitt and his colleagues found that Aldactone, also known as spironolactone, could reduce the risk of death by 27 percent. The study is another boost to Monsanto's Searle drug unit, which yesterday reported strong results for its Celebrex drug in treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Shares of St. Louis- based Monsanto, a leading agriculture biotechnology company with a growing drug business, fell 3/16 to 39. Aldactone, which works by draining fluids from the body, has been available for more than three decades, mainly as a treatment for high blood pressure. The new results, however, could spark greater use of the drug. Previously, most doctors thought a drug such as Aldactone couldn't be added to the standard therapy known as ACE inhibitors, Pitt said. Study Ended Early In September, Searle announced that it had ended the so- called RALES study of more than 1,600 patients more than a year early because of the drug's benefits. Ending the study means all patients have the option to receive the drug and no one is on placebo. The trial involved researchers in 15 countries who studied the effects of the drug versus a placebo on top of the care generally given to heart failure patients. Searle is still considering whether to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of a new claim for the drug, a spokesman said. Since the drug is already commercially available, however, doctors can prescribe it to patients even without formal approval of a new claim for the drug. Meanwhile, researchers in the so-called CIBIS-II study found similar benefits for American Home's bisoprolol, with the drug reducing the overall risk of death in the 2,647-patient study by 32 percent. Bisoprolol, sold by American Home as Ziac, is a member of a class of drugs known as beta blockers. Currently, SmithKline Beecham Plc's Coreg is the only beta blocker drug approved by the FDA for treatment of heart failure. Beta blocker drugs, which work by muting the effects of stress hormones in the body and can decrease the force of the heart's contractions, have long been used for a variety of heart patients. Only recently, however, have doctors begun to understand their potential benefits for patients suffering from heart failure. Meanwhile, researchers have high hopes for devices developed by a host of companies including Baxter International Inc. and Guidant Corp. that could help improve patients' quality of life. --Kristin Jensen in Dallas through the Washington newsroom (202) news.com

To: twt who wrote (501)	11/11/1998 5:21:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 2539

twt, <Do you anticipate a runup before 12/1> I do, but it all depends on the market considitions at said time. Anthony

To: twt who wrote (501)	11/11/1998 6:49:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

Monsanto to raise $4 bln for seed co acquisitions Wednesday November 11, 5:17 pm Eastern Time ST. LOUIS, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Life sciences company Monsanto Co. (NYSE:MTC - news) said Wednesday it would pay for recent seed company acquisitions with new issues of debt and equity, the sale of some businesses and a restructuring that will cut as many as 2,500, or about 9 percent, of its global workforce. The company said it would raise up to $4 billion to fund the acquisitions and that 700 to 1,000 jobs would be cut as part of the restructuring, with another 1,300 to 1,500 jobs taken off the Monsanto payroll through business divestitures. The company said in a statement that it would issue about $1 billion of common stock, $500 million of adjustable conversion-rate equity security units (ACES) and $2.5 billion of long term unsecured debt. In addition, Monsanto said it expected to raise at least $1 billion from business divestitures. It said the 700 to 1,000 job cuts would be effective in the first quarter of 1999 and that ''a number'' of them would be at executive levels. The restructuring plan is expected to reduce administrative costs by roughly 20 percent in 1999 compared with 1998 and the company said it expected to take fourth quarter restructuring and special charges of $400 million to $600 million on a pretax basis. Monsanto announced several seed company acquisitions earlier this year, including plans to purchase DeKalb Genetics Corp. (NYSE:DKB - news) and Delta and Pine Land Co. (NYSE:DLP - news). The company's planned merger with pharmaceutical firm American Home Products Corp. (NYSE:AHP - news) fell through in October. Monsanto shares ended Wednesday at $38.69 on the New York Stock Exchange. biz.yahoo.com