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

To: jttmab who wrote (856)	1/11/1999 6:55:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

Jim, here's a Bloomberg article, reporting on the WSJ report (citing no sources... indeed) Merck & Co. Says Arthritis Drug Does Not Cause Ulcers, WSJ Says Bloomberg News January 11, 1999, 4:47 a.m. ET London, Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Merck & Co. says its new arthritis drug, Vioxx, does not cause gastrointestinal problems, allowing it to be marketed as a wide-ranging pain killer, the Wall Street Journal Interactive edition reported, citing no sources. Vioxx is likely to be approved in late Spring by the U.S Food and Drug administration, the newspaper said. Vioxx is a new type of drug, called a Cox-2 inhibitor, that Wall street analysts believe could generate world-wide combined sales of $5 billion by 2003, the newspaper reported. Monsanto Co., a leading agricultural products company expanding into pharmaceuticals, said Jan. 4 it will sell its newly approved Celebrex arthritis drug at prices as low as or lower than comparable brand-name painkillers. (The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition www.wsj.com) --Will Wareing in the London newsroom (44 171) 330 7699/cp

To: jttmab who wrote (856)	1/11/1999 1:37:00 PM
From: Dan Spillane	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 2539

Like I mentioned several messages ago, Monsanto had turned the prescription brand-name drug industry upside-down by pricing Celebrex at the same level as similar products. This has generated industry-wide fear...this fear seems to be turning into bad press, which is ultimately rooted in competing drug companies. To wit...WSJ, AP, and others are running questionable stories concerning Celebrex and Merck: 1. Searle and FDA says Celebrex is safer, but the drug is somehow "no good" according to the spin in the news?!? 2. Merck's drug is somehow better, but there is no reason why?!? 3. Stories appear in the news about how insurance will not cover Celebrex, either inappropriately comparing the branded drug to generics, or completely misstating the position of insurance companies?!? The bottom line is Monsanto got the approval, but not the best labeling immediately. The lobbying efforts of the other drug companies are probably the single greatest factor which affected the labeling issue, NOT the effectiveness or safety of the drug. Ironically, though, Monsanto seemed to anticipate this because now the other companies are probably really sorry Celebrex isn't a very expensive drug. Can you say "BACKFIRED" on them...? By the way, there is one question still open in my mind that no one has answered. Is it true (as the news is reporting) that Monsanto got NO labeling changes, OR is there a label that will say the drug is safer, but still contain elements of the NSAID warning? What's the truth, hmmmmmm?