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

To: Dan Spillane who wrote (516)	11/11/1998 8:57:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

Dan, you're right on! See the following excerpt from the Drug Stock Commentary at labpuppy.com (which, BTW, is worth bookmarking as it's got interesting perspective on drug stocks): 11/11/98 Merck (MRK) dropped 2% today because it did not provide any endoscopic data (for ulcers) on Vioxx at the American College of Rheumatology meeting today. Investors were disappointed because they feared that something might be amiss since the company had provided six-month safety data earlier in Europe. Hopefully this safety data will be presented at Merck's December 9th analyst meeting. labpuppy.com

To: Dan Spillane who wrote (516)	11/12/1998 5:29:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 2539

Monsanto Touts Safety Benefits Of Arthritis Drug Celebrex November 12, 1998 3:43 PM NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- A leading scientist with Monsanto Co.'s G.D. Searle pharmaceutical division said Thursday that late-stage studies of its arthritis pain drug Celebrex show it "does not cause ulcers." That statement, by G. Steven Geis, Searle's vice president of clinical research, is the company's strongest statement yet on the drug, known generically as celecoxib. Geis and other Searle scientists are scheduled to present the latest clinical data on Celebrex Thursday at the American College of Rheumatology meeting in San Diego. Summarizing the various studies so far on the drug, Geis said, "We have demonstrated efficacy in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The individual studies continue to confirm that adverse events are relatively low." Celebrex belongs to a class of drugs called COX-2 inhibitors. They are intended to help thousands of patients avoid the dangerous, sometimes fatal, bleeding ulcers associated with existing arthritis-pain drugs, known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Celebrex will be competing with less expensive NSAIDs and rival COX-2 drugs. One such drug in the class is Merck & Co.'s Vioxx. Hemant K. Shah, a drug-industry analyst, has estimated that the market for this new class of drugs could reach $3 billion annually by 2001. Some rheumatologists are concerned that Celebrex and related drugs may prove toxic to the kidneys, but Geis said this hasn't occurred so far. "We don't see any cause for concern," Geis said. There have been, he said, "no weight gain or blood-pressure changes. But it is something that has to be watched." Especially impressive so far, said Geis, is the fact that "the incidence of ulcers with celecoxib is similar to placebo." That fact has been confirmed, he said, with endoscopic data - devices snaked down through the esophagus that enable doctors to see ulcers or confirm that they aren't there. The Phase III tests show no ulcers related to Celebrex, he said, even at "super-therapeutic doses" more than double what patients actually will need to take. In one study, for instance, the incidence of gastroduodenal ulcers was 4% in the Celebrex group and 15% in the group taking an older NSAID called Voltaren. In that study lasting over six months, 655 rheumatoid arthritis patients were randomized to take Celebrex or Voltaren, and their conditions were verified with endoscopic exams. Despite the impressive safety data, its isn't yet clear how managed-care comanies plan to pay for the drugs. The COX-2 drugs are expected to cost several dollars a pill, and insurers might want patients to start off on less expensive, older drugs before moving to the newer ones. However, its very difficult to pinpoint which patients may wind up in a hospital because of a bleeding ulcer caused by the older medication. Copyright (c) 1998 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. smartmoney.com