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

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (6829)	1/27/1999 10:07:00 PM
From: BigKNY3	Respond to of 9523

Monsanto's Arthritis Painkiller Selling Briskly Edward R. Silverman 01/27/99 KRTBN Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News: The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J Another new drug is flying off pharmacy shelves at a trend-setting pace. The widely anticipated new painkiller called Celebrex, which became available on Jan. 19 for arthritis sufferers, is on track to become one of the pharmaceutical industry's most successful product introductions. In its first four days on the market, about 8,500 prescriptions were written by doctors, a rate that rivals the initial volume of prescriptions written two years ago when the Lipitor cholesterol drug was launched, according to NDC Health Information Services. However, the volume doesn't match the record-breaking numbers posted last spring by Viagra , for which more than 15,000 prescriptions were being written each day by overwhelmed physicians, the market-research firm noted. Nonetheless, "the numbers are just astronomical," said Hemant Shah, an independent analyst who tracks the drug industry. "Volume is much stronger than anticipated, and I think it reflects pent-up demand. The market is unsatisfied." Celebrex, which is marketed by the Monsanto Co. with help from Pfizer, is the first in a new class of painkillers known as Cox-2. Unlike existing painkillers, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, Cox-2 painkillers don't cause gastrointestinal side effects. For this reason, anticipation was running high that Celebrex would quickly become a blockbuster drug. Regulators, however, dealt Monsanto a blow last month by saying the drug can be marketed for arthritis relief, but not other types of pain. This may give Merck & Co., which is seeking regulatory approval for its own Cox-2 drug, an advantage. Merck is counting on its Vioxx painkiller to become a blockbuster because patents on some big-selling drugs expire in a couple of years. Merck applied to the Food and Drug Administration for marketing approval last November and expects a decision by May, because the agency recently placed it on its fasttrack review system. About 19 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, both of which cause painful inflammation. Monsanto is currently conducting studies in order to market Celebrex for other ailments, such as pain from dental procedures.

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (6829)	1/28/1999 12:24:00 AM
From: BigKNY3	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9523

Correction: Breaking Viagra News Viagra has apparently just been approved in Hong Kong (SAR:Special Administrative Region of China)....not China. Highlights below. BigKNY3 ______________________________________________________ Viagra for sale 'within weeks' after Legco nod Doctors expect stampede for pills JO PEGG 01/28/99 South China Morning Post Page 2 Sale of the anti-impotence drug Viagra won unanimous Legco backing last night but the long-awaited pills may not be available for weeks......Health officials said the vote meant the drug could be legal for use on prescription by February 5.......Urologists expect a stampede when the tablets become available, with 10 per cent of men in the SAR believed to be impotent......."This really is a new era in treatment," said Kwong Wah Hospital urologist and panel member Dr Andrew Yip Wai-chun.......He said about 200,000 men were impotent and more than a million had at least occasional erectile problems. His clinic had been bombarded for months with requests for Viagra ........"Erectile dysfunction has serious psychological implications," Dr Yip said. "We've seen divorce and lots of family problems because of it, and I really hope we can help these people.".....Pfizer representative Angel Choi Lai-kei said the company still needed final government permission to import the drug, after which shipping would be organised. "It could be a week to a month," she said. .