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To: If only I'd held who wrote (63111)	3/19/1999 11:22:00 AM
From: Frost Byte	Respond to of 119973

IMNX splits 2 for 1 next week....look for huge gains next week..I'm getting in early. Immunex Says Arthritis Drug May Treat Heart Patients (Update2) (Closing market activity) New Orleans, March 8 (Bloomberg) -- Immunex Corp. and American Home Products Corp. said a small study of their Enbrel anti-arthritis drug shows its use in patients with chronic heart failure can improve their quality of life. The preliminary study, the results of which will be presented today at a American College of Cardiology convention, will be followed by a 900-person North American study and a companion trial in Europe, the company said. ''If the clinical development program for chronic heart failure successfully evolves, patients and physicians can look forward to additional therapeutics benefit,'' said Patrick Gages, president of AHP's Wyeth-Ayerst Research unit. The preliminary study of 47 people compared two groups, each using a different twice-weekly dose of the drug, against a placebo control group. Researchers found 50 percent of those treated with the drug were less physically limited after three months of therapy. The study results and discussions of further trials could fuel optimism about the prospects for Enbrel. Immunex shares have tripled over the past five months as the drug won approval for treating rheumatoid arthritis and analysts forecast it will have annual sales of more than $1 billion as a treatment for that disorder. ''There is such a cult with this thing,'' said Michael King, an analyst with BancBoston Robertson Stephens. ''Anyone who thinks that Enbrel has more potential uses than rheumatoid arthritis is going to think the hypothesis makes sense.'' Still, it's too early to handicap Enbrel's chances of winning approval as a treatment for congestive heart failure, analysts said. ''I think the jury is still out,'' said King. ''I would not consider this to be definitive proof.'' Enbrel won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of diabetes in November. The drug has been shown to relieve arthritis symptoms after other therapies have failed. Researchers think that Enbrel works by blocking tumor necrosis factor, a protein that the body naturally makes as a defense. Excess buildup of this protein around joints leads to rheumatoid arthritis. Higher-than-average amounts of tumor necrosis factor also are found in patients with chronic heart failure. Chronic heart failure affects 4.8 million people in the U.S. and is often characterized by heart damage from heart attacks, high blood pressure or a defective heart valve. People who have the disease suffer from fatigue and shortness of breath, because their hearts slowly become less efficient.