- Merck warnt - Sascha, 22.06.2001, 14:30
Merck warnt
<font size=5>Merck warns on 2Q, year</font>
Foreign exchange, disappointing sales of Vioxx will leave it short of guidance
June 22, 2001: 8:15 a.m. ET (=14:15 Uhr MESZ)
NEW YORK (CNNfn) - <font color="#FF0000">Merck & Co. warned Friday that it will miss second-quarter and full-year earnings forecasts, </font>citing disappointing sales of its arthritis drug Vioxx as well as foreign exchange rates.
The nation's No. 2 drugmaker said it sees second-quarter earnings of 77 to 79 cents a share, up from 73 cents a share a year earlier. Wall Street analysts had forecast profits of 81 cents a share, according to First Call, which tracks profit forecasts.
<font color="#FF0000">The company also said it expects full-year earnings of $3.12 to $3.18 a share, versus average estimates of $3.20 a share</font>.
Anmerkung: Das geht ja noch. Aber dennoch halt weniger als erwartet.
Vioxx, a new pain relief drug, is not likely to reach the top of its projected sales range because of slower than expected penetration of its class of drugs into the analgesics and arthritis market, the company said.
Merck said the drug should now see sales of $3 billion to $3.5 billion this year, putting it second to Cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor in terms of sales by the company.
Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck is the nation's No. 2 drugmaker behind Pfizer Inc. Shares of Merck, a component of the Dow Jones industrial average, lost 19 cents to close Thursday trading at $74.47.
Quelle: http://www.cnnfn.com[/b]
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