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Biotech / Medical : Sepracor-Looks very promising -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: rkrw who wrote (1982)	3/10/1999 12:36:00 AM
From: John Metcalf	Respond to of 10280

Good points, rkrw, as usual. I see this in a political context, because of the involvement of Citizen Waxman: "In a December letter to FTC Chairman Robert Pitofsky, several congressmen, including Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, prodded the agency, citing various "anticompetitive practices in the prescription-drug industry that require immediate scrutiny."" It's correct that FTC has done nothing (yet), and also correct that they have responded to pressure from a Congress Critter. This one is not just another lost Californian in D.C., he's an author of Waxman-Hatch, the law which permitted ANDA's and facilitated generic drug introductions. His purpose is to cause fear amongst drug companies. They've relied on Waxman-Hatch being enforced, and now one of its authors has asked a separate regulatory agency to go after companies that are complying with the law he wrote. Waxman-induced fear may cause companies to be generous when Citizen Gore and others slither across the country pleading for campaign funds. This is not Waxman's virgin joust against the healthcare industry. He spent years trying to attach quality control provisions to every level of health and human service. None of that would have improved quality, but it would have required lots of overhead-types to be hired, and driven up costs. Hence, it was a reliable coffer-filler issue. Waxman is like the guy who says, "I hate ta bust up yer place. Ya oughta see my cousin 'bout some insurance." Of course, it will come to nothing.

To: rkrw who wrote (1982)	3/10/1999 7:44:00 AM
From: billy d	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 10280

If I understand this whole patent deal correctly, should SEPR develop a new Prozac for LLY, companies like Barr could still make a generic version of the old Prozac. Assuming this is correct, what is the big deal? Doctors and patients would be free to take either. Am I missing the point?

To: rkrw who wrote (1982)	3/10/1999 10:03:00 AM
From: rkrw	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10280

<ICE Prozac will not block the introduction of generics-in fact Mylan is set to introduce the first upon patent expire.> Correction. I should have said Barr Labs and actually a handful of generic companies are disputing the LLY Prozac patents and each would be free to market as soon as the Prozac racemate patents expire. If any (albeit unlikely) overturn the patents in court, they'd have a 6 month exclusivity. Its going to be a stampede as soon as the patents expire and prices will follow suit. I don't think anyone is going to make much money on a generic prozac, whether ICE prozac lies in lilly's hands or not, its just the nature of easy to copy generics.