Biotech Values

[bladerunner1717]

Thanks, PGS. I understood most of that.

I know we always talk science, finances, management, regulatory issues, about the companies we talk about, but there can be other issues, like politics. And also, you mentioned the good will of the medical profession, which is ceertainly hard to calculate in hard dollars and cents numbers, but could be a concern for PFE.

An issue that no one has talked about here is is the role of the FTC. There may be a "restraint-of-trade" issue here, and if Kennedy and Waxman (Waxman is my U.S. rep and I'll be writing him about this issue, you can be sure.) force the issue, then you can be sure the FTC will take it up. BTW, this is the kind of issue that oftentimes gets bi-partisan support. The term "blackmail" that you used seems entirely appropriate to me. I think more than a few doctors will be very unhappy, if torcetrapib is only available with Lipitor. And companies with statins others than Lipitor are sure to complain to the FTC.

At a time when conservative Republicans like Grassley and liberal Democrats like Kennedy are teaming up in Congress to look at the pharmaceutical industry, PFE has not picked the most propitious time to pull a stunt like this, IMO.

Thanks for your comments and explanations, PGS.

Any new thoughts on ARQL?


Bladerunner