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Biotech / Medical : VVUS: VIVUS INC. (NASDAQ) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mkilloran who wrote (17085)	12/21/1998 4:26:00 PM
From: VLAD	Respond to of 23519

martin, Script numbers: Viagra: new 68,053 refill 94,729 total 162,782 *Note* This is again the lowest non holiday week for new Viagra prescriptions. Todays new Viagra numbers are more than 75% under its best week. Muse new 1,955 refill 2,026 total 3,981 (I was hoping for more like 4,200) Both numbers are down from last week on Muse but new scripts are the second highest for this quarter and total scripts are the third highest for this quarter. I don't think that muse scripts can see an appreciable increase without a domestic sales force knocking on the doors of the PCPs. Even with the Viagra safety issue at hand and new Viagra scripts continuing to decline, it does not look like the PCPs are rushing to write a flurry of new Muse scripts. Why? I believe it has a lot to do with lack of awareness of the product and laziness on the part of the PCP. Again, they need to be informed that the instructions of administering Muse is not all that big of an effort. I hope that Leland Wilson can see that Muse prescriptions will not substantially increase without the sales force in the field. The ACC findings in the next 2 weeks probably will put more pressure on the PCP to avoid prescribing Viagra in the at risk groups. The question is how many PCP are completely familiar with Muse and willing to offer it to their patients? I don't know but I think that unless the patient asks for an alternative or specifically requests Muse most PCPs will be reluctant to write scripts for a drug they are unfamiliar with or a drug they never prescribed before. Vivus needs to sign that domestic partner ASAP. Since I don't know squat as to what the "best" offer is on the table I really can't make a fair assessment on Wilson's stradegy thus far. Nevertheless, he will have a lot of explaining to do come January's conference call.