Como se combate o populismo? "Com eleições", responde Fukuyama

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Pfizer desliza 24% após anunciar que analgésico Celebrex aumenta riscos de ataque coração

17/12/2004 16:16

Empresa perde 31 mil milhões de valor de mercado Pfizer desliza 24% após anunciar que analgésico Celebrex aumenta riscos de ataque coração
A farmacêutica Pfizer disse hoje que o seu analgésico «Celebrex» aumenta o risco de ataques cardíacos, segundo um estudo efectuado. As acções da Pfizer caíram até 24,12% depois desta notícia, retirando 41 mil milhões de dólares (31 mil milhões de euros) à capitalização bolsista da empresa.

Os pacientes do Instituto de Cancro Nacional dos Estados Unidos da América que tomaram entre 400 miligramas até 800 miligramas de doses de Celebrex tiveram cerca de 2,5 vezes mais expostos ao risco de um acidente, fatal ou não, cardiovascular, comparando com os que não estão medicados. O instituto suspendeu as doses de «Celebrex» no estudo, disse a Pfizer.

Os reguladores nos Estados Unidos da América e a Europa já estavam a analisar a classe de «Cox-2» de analgésicos depois da Merck ter retirado do mercado o Vioxx e a Administração de Alimentação e de Medicamentos dos EUA planeia reunir no próximo ano para analisar a segurança dos medicamentos.

AstraZeneca desce 9% com ineficiência do medicamento Iressa

Paralelamente, foi hoje revelado que o medicamento «Iressa», da AstraZeneca, não ajuda os pacientes a viverem mais tempo, revelou esta farmacêutica, remetendo para um segundo estudo acerca deste efectuado este ano e que vai fazer com que a empresa não ganhe cerca de mil milhões de dólares (753,9 milhões de euros) com o produto. As acções desvalorizaram máximo de 9,19% para os 1867 pence.

O presidente não executivo, Percy Barnevik vai deixar o Conselho de Administração muitos meses antes, disse a AstraZeneca hoje em comunicado, acrescentando que John Patterson vai ser conduzido a efectuar «mudanças substanciais» no departamento de estudos da empresa e a melhorar a interacção com os reguladores.

A AstraZeneca já enfrenta um atraso no seu medicamento Exanta para ajudar o sangue a fluir melhor, já que os reguladores recusaram a aprová-lo no início deste ano. O presidente executivo da AstraZeneca, Tom McKillop disse à Bloomberg que não sabia se o «Iressa» iria ser retirado do mercado.

Este medicamento perfez 309 milhões de dólares (232 milhões de euros) de vendas, face ao total de 15,6 mil milhões de dólares (11,76 mil milhões de euros) que a empresa obteve nos primeiros nove meses do ano.

As acções da Pfizer seguiam a cair 13,77% para os 24,99 dólares, enquanto as da AstraZeneca desvalorizavam 7,73% para os 1897 pence.

...

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U.S. stocks slip, then recover after

17/12/2004 15:44

(Updates to early morning, changes byline)

By Anupama Chandrasekaran

NEW YORK, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Stocks were little changed on Friday, recovering after a sharp early drop on news from Pfizer Inc. that patients in a study showed an increased risk of heart attacks after taking its popular Celebrex drug.

Pfizer plunged 17.4 percent to $23.95. The American Stock Exchange Pharmaceutical Index was down 4.2 percent with 11 of the 15 constituents lower. Drug companies falling included Eli Lilly & Co. , down 4.5 percent to $54.70, and Merck & Co. , which slipped 3.5 percent to $30.68.

Pfizer said patients taking Celebrex in a long-term cancer-prevention trial had more than twice the number of fatal or nonfatal heart attacks as those taking a placebo.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 2.44 points, or 0.02 percent, at 10,703.20. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 3.39 points, or 0.28 percent, at 1,199.82. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was up 2.94 points, or 0.14 percent, at 2,149.09.

"Pfizer will cause a knee-jerk reaction. I don't think it will hurt the rest of the market. You really should see money rotating out of pharmaceutical into other areas." said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer of Solaris Asset Management. "It can be a very volatile day also because of the quadruple witching."

Volatility could occur as Friday marks this year's final quarterly expiration of four different types of December futures and options contracts, a convergence known as quadruple witching. So far this year, quarterly expirations have been fairly calm, but some strategists say there could be heightened volatility this time.

Circuit City Stores Inc. fell 1.3 percent to $15.09 after the No. 2 U.S. electronics retail chain reported third-quarter earnings and said it was cautious in its fourth-quarter outlook.

Nike Inc. rose 5.3 percent to $90.50 after it said second-quarter earnings rose a surprisingly large 46 percent on strong sales in the United States and in emerging markets like China, while a weaker dollar beefed up profits in Europe.

On the Nasdaq, palmOne Inc. fell 17 percent to $35.25 a day after it disappointed investors with its outlook for the current quarter.

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. fell nearly 2 percent to $32.85 after the cost of a proposed settlement of a government accounting investigation left earnings at the video game publisher below expectations.

Oil prices climbed amid worries a U.S. cold spell might erode winter fuel inventories. U.S. light crude rose 52 cents to $44.70.

The consumer price index, widely taken as a gauge of inflation risks, was in-line with Wall Street economists' expectations, up 0.2 percent in November.

((Reporting by Anupama Chandrasekaran

Editing by Kenneth Barry

Reuters Messaging:

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PFIZER INC (NYSE:PFE) Delayed quote data

Last Trade: 23.60
Trade Time: 9:57AM ET
Change: 5.38 (18.56%)
Prev Close: 28.98
Open: N/A
Bid: N/A
Ask: N/A
1y Target Est: 37.86

Day's Range: 21.99 - 38.51
52wk Range: 26.55 - 38.89
Volume: 11,054,100
Avg Vol (3m): 30,899,808
Market Cap: 177.73B
P/E (ttm): 19.87
EPS (ttm): 1.188

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Pfizer shares, a Dow Jones Industrial Average component, tumbled 13 percent to $25.24 in early trading.

In a statement, the company (PFE: news, chart, profile) said it has suspended dosing in the study while it reviews the new data. A second study of the long-term use of the drug, already used for treating arthritis, in treating cancer, revealed no increased risk of heart damage.

"These clinical trial results are new," CEO Hank McKinnell said in the statement. "The cardiovascular findings in one of the studies (APC) are unexpected and not consistent with the reported findings in the second study (PreSAP).

"Pfizer is taking immediate steps to fully understand the results and rapidly communicate new information to regulators, physicians and patients around the world."

Celebrex is currently used in doses of 100 to 200 milligrams daily to treat osteoarthritis and 200 to 400mg a day to treat rheumathoid arthritis.

The APC cancer study used doses of 400mg to 800mg a day, while the PreSAP cancer trial used doses of 400mg a day. The studies involved about 3,600 patients, some of whom have taken part in the trial for more than four years.

Pfizer said it will push ahead with a plan to work with the Food and Drugs Administration on a clinical study of the effects of Celebrex on arthritis patients with a high-risk for heart disease.

Pfizer's announcement on Celebrex comes after rival Merck (MRK: news, chart, profile) was forced to withdraw its arthritis treatment Vioxx from the market due to concerns about the risk of heart damage.