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

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (7250)	3/19/1999 11:06:00 AM
From: Jim Lamb	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9523

Article here from Jubak at Microsoft Money, includes opinion on PFE moneycentral.msn.com

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (7250)	3/19/1999 2:36:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 9523

Microsoft challenge to Viagra sex pill by Toby Rose and Geraint Smith This is London 19 March, 1999 An offshoot of Microsoft is threatening to overshadow its parent's reputation for software after developing a "super rival" to Viagra. The effects of the new anti-impotency drug, as yet unnamed, are said to be immediate, to last 24 hours, and to result in a male response to sexual stimuli that would shame the most rampant adolescent. "Older people who have tried the drug say that they have the erections of a 15-year-old," Professor Albert Leriche, a Lyon urologist, told a medical symposium in Paris today. Tests on human volunteers have so far been "very encouraging," he said, and have shown that the new drug has several advantages over the trailblazing Viagra. "The effects of the drug can appear at any time during the 24 hour period although, as with Viagra, stimulation is required. "For example it is possible that men will become excited just by seeing a pretty girl on the beach or in the street. "With this drug the user is always ready." Professor Leriche is conducting tests and says he is very excited by the results. The American laboratory ICOS says it will be on the market within two years. If it does get through the process of clinical trials necessary before it is licensed, it might bring Bill Gates yet more superfluous wealth. When Viagra first came on to the market, shares in Pfizer, its maker, shot skywards, and the company has been extremely quick to defend what is now probably its hottest trade name. The new drug will have to go through extensive tests before it is licensed - especially given the initial concerns about the effects on health of Viagra. As many as 24 deaths from heart attacks have been blamed on that drug. © Associated Newspapers Ltd., 19 March 1999 thisislondon.co.uk

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (7250)	3/19/1999 2:46:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9523

Nobel winner says find is more than just Viagra By Nicole Foy Express-News Staff Writer Dr. Ferid Murad should be a cult god to impotent men everywhere, but he's content just knowing his medical advances helped produce one of the more successful drugs in history: Viagra. Though he remains impressed by the wild popularity and importance of the little blue pill, Murad stressed Thursday his findings in the field of nitric oxide have much broader implications. Murad, of the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, won the Nobel Prize last year for his part in the discovery that nitric oxide can relax the muscles that control the body's blood vessels. He retraced his research, which has spanned almost three decades, for colleagues of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, which is meeting at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter hotel. "Initially (after the Nobel win), it was all about Viagra," he recalled in an interview after his speech. "But since then, I've tried to point out that there are situations where people are surviving because of nitric oxide. "For example, in premature intensive care units, children who are only a couple of pounds, who usually would die, are now surviving because they're given a nasal nitric oxide spray that improves pulmonary hypertension and survival rates." Murad also has been in the spotlight recently because of his decision to join 66 other Nobel Prize winners in signing a letter requesting federal funding for controversial stem cell research. Stem cells are the recently isolated human cells that continually divide, producing other cells that can develop into complete bodily organs, including a heart or liver. The research is particularly explosive because cells currently are gathered either from a developing embryo or from aborted fetuses destined for disposal. Murad defended his support of stem cell research Thursday, saying it has potential to treat many forms of human disease. "Stem cells are very important as tools in the laboratory," he said. "You can't inhibit research, but you have to use some common sense so that you don't take it in crazy directions." On the subject of the rapidly growing field of nitric oxide research, Murad is excited about the possibility of producing a host of new drugs to combat everything from cancer to heart disease. "I'm amazed at how far this has gone," he said. "We knew at the time that it is important research, but we didn't realize it was going to be this important. Still, there's a lot we don't know — a lot of opportunity lies ahead." Scientists around the globe now are studying nitric oxide and its effects. More than 20,000 articles have been published in the field since the 1970s, Murad said. The discovery that nitric oxide can alter the function of other cells represents "an entirely new principle for signaling in biological systems," the Nobel Assembly noted in granting the prize to Murad and two other Americans. Murad shared the 1998 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Robert Furchgott, of the State University of New York in Brooklyn, and Louis Ignarro, a pharmacologist at the University of California at Los Angeles. Nitric oxide is a common gas better known as an air pollutant. It differs from nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. Viagra works against male impotence by using nitric oxide to relax the smooth muscle in the penis, thereby increasing blood flow to the organ. When originally discovered, the idea that any gas could regulate key functions in cells was revolutionary, Murad said. Previously known signaling agents typically were complex molecules rather than a light gas. Nitric oxide's properties allow it to pass through membranes with ease, Murad said. Thursday, Mar 18,1999 expressnews.com

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (7250)	3/19/1999 11:12:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9523

IMS HEALTH Reports Celebrex U.S. Prescriptions Dispensed Reach 279,183 in Second Week of March Company Press Release Friday March 19, 5:52 pm Eastern Time For the First Time, Celebrex Prescriptions Written Surpass Viagra's In Comparable Period LONDON--(BW HealthWire)--March 19, 1999-- IMS HEALTH (NYSE:RX - news) today reported that for the week ending March 12 - its ninth week on the market -- total Celebrex prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. reached 279,183, up 5.8 percent from the previous week. For the first time, Celebrex prescriptions surpassed those written for Viagra in the comparable period in its product lifecycle: In its ninth week on the market, 210,857 prescriptions were dispensed for Viagra. IMS HEALTH's regular weekly prescription activity report covering the week ending March 12 becomes available on Monday, March 22. IMS HEALTH is the world's leading provider of information solutions to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Since its introduction in the U.S., a total of 1.2 million Celebrex prescriptions have been dispensed. The majority of weekly Celebrex prescriptions continue to be new prescriptions, which represented 87 percent of prescribing for the week ending March 5. IMS HEALTH's weekly prescription tracking service provides comprehensive coverage of three U.S. retail channels -- chain drugstores, independent pharmacies and food stores with pharmacies -- and includes cash and Medicaid prescriptions as well as third-party reimbursement. The service also provides unique access to mail-order prescriptions, making it the most complete market tracking service covering the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. IMS HEALTH is the world's leading provider of information solutions to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. With more than $1.2 billion in 1998 revenue, IMS HEALTH operates in over 90 countries. IMS HEALTH is the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer information partner, with over 40 years' experience in the industry. Key products and services integral to customer day-to-day operations include: market research for prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical products; sales management information to optimize sales force productivity; technology-enabled selling solutions for sales and marketing decision making; and technology systems and information services that support managed care organizations. Additional information and previous press releases are available at the IMS HEALTH website: imshealth.com. Contact: IMS HEALTH U.S.: Nancy Duckwitz, 610/834-5338 U.K.: Michael Gury, +44 171-393-5864 biz.yahoo.com