Zyprexa

An AstraZeneca spokesperson questioned the study's methodology, saying the profit estimate for Seroquel, a schizophrenia medication, was too high.

AstraZeneca gave no alternate figures.

A GlaxoSmithKline spokesperson wouldn't discuss projected earnings for Lamictal, a treatment for bipolar disorder.

A spokesperson for Lilly said the company expected only a "modest short-term benefit to sales" for sales of $2.04 billion in 2005.

Lilly's earnings per share could rise by 6 percent in 2006 just by escaping the rebates, the Prudential study estimates.

With U.S.

sales of $2.76 billion in 2005, Seroquel's increased Medicare profit could boost AstraZeneca's earnings per share by 8 percent, the report found.

Company policy prohibits Prudential analysts from discussing reports with non-clients, said company spokesman Jim Gorman.

Tony Butler, managing director and pharmaceutical analyst at Lehman Bros., an investment bank in New York, agreed with the report that Medicare would probably have higher drug prices than Medicaid.

Butler estimated the sales windfall for drug companies under Medicare to be between $1.8 ...

The drug's sales may have topped $65 million in 2005, with Amylin's total revenue reaching about $130 million, thanks to milestone payments from Lilly.

Fans like Piper Jaffray's Thomas Wei foresee Byetta's annual sales hitting about $1 billion by 2009.

That would let Amylin finally turn a profit, about 50 cents a share (after accounting for employee stock options).

Much hinges on Amylin's getting FDA approval for the once-a-week version of Byetta.

Some bulls sound downright giddy.

Amylin "represents the triumph over adversity that is the shared DNA of all of us in this industry," cheered Andrew Foreman of WR Hambrecht, in a recent Buy recommendation.

"This is no time for using models to value stocks." With Amylin trading at 37 times revenue, it's not surprising that about 15 million shares have been sold short — about 15% of the float and 10 days' trading volume.

Among the stock's unheeded risks is the competition from some soon-to-be approved drugs, including Pfizer's (PFE) Exubera, the first insulin that patients can inhale.

The agency also is likely to approve Acomplia, an obesity drug from Sanofi-Aventis (SNY) that doctors will probably prescribe for diabetes patients.

And in this year's first quarter, Novo Nordisk (NVO) will begin a large Phase III study of a more direct rival to Byetta, called liraglutide.

It requires a daily shot, making it more convenient than the now-approved version of Byetta, ...

In the appeal, Frost claims that District Attorney Patricia DeAngelis spent time during a suicide watch in Wilhelm's jail cell just prior to when Wilhelm admitted to killing her son.

DeAngelis' testimony "was material and necessary and the trial court ought to have heard such testimony and disqualified Ms.

DeAngelis from participating in the trial of the case," the brief reads.

Sara Martin, a spokeswoman for the Rensselaer County District Attorney's office, said Thursday that the office had just received the brief and was working on a response.

The Appellate Division of state Supreme Court and a county judge have overturned a slew of convictions that DeAngelis has been involved with during her years in the district attorney's office.

DeAngelis was deputy district attorney at the time of the Wilhelm trial.

Frost did not return messages seeking comment left at his county office.

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