GENENTECH NORTH AMERICAN SALES OF PROTROPIN HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE APPROACH $45 MIL. IN 1986; MARION REPORTS CARDIZEM MEW Rxs PER MONTH UP 40% IN DECEMBER

Genentech's Protropin human growth hormone sales reached $43.6 mil. in 1986, the product's first full calendar year on the market. Protropin sales have grown steadily and significantly from quarter to quarter since the drug was launched during the last quarter of 1985. From $5.2 mil. in sales during the last few months of 1985, the company's human growth hormone product generated sales of $7.3 mil. during the first quarter of 1986, $9.5 mil. the second quarter, $12.4 mil. in the third quarter and $14.4 mil. in the last three months of the year. Projected over a full year, Protropin's fourth quarter sales would put the drug near $60 mil. in annual sales. Genentech noted that the Protropin sales figure includes only sales of the product in the U.S. and Canada. Revenues from product sales outside North America via a licensing agreement with Kabivitrum are accounted for in the company's total revenues. Genentech's overall revenues for 1986 were up 49.5% to $134 mil. Subtracting for Protropin sales in the U.S., Genentech's contract revenues and royalties increased 7% to about $90 mil. The company reported a net loss of $352.2 mil. in 1986, reflecting the one-time charge of $365 mil. for the purchase of assets from Genentech's two R&D partnerships in the fourth quarter. Marion Cardizem Rxs per month were up 35% to 835,000 in December 1986, compared with December 1985, while new Rxs grew over 40% to 220,000 last month, compared to a year earlier. Marion said that Cardizem holds a 39% share of all Rxs written for calcium channel blockers in the U.S. In addition, the company noted that Rxs per month from its other major drug, Carafate, were up 46% in December compared with a year earlier. In the company's second quarter (ended Dec. 31), Marion showed a 42% jump in sales to $128.2 mil. accompanied by a 67.9% earnings gain to $21.9 mil. Through six months, net income is up 60% to $42.6 mil. on a 42% sales increase to $253.7 mil. Sales from Abbott's drug and nutritional segment topped the $2 bil. level in 1986 for the first time ever on an 11.8% gain in annual volume to $2.06 bil. Among the company's milestones in that area, Abbott highlighted the 1986 approval of its polymer coated erythromycin (PCE) and gains in marketshare in the I.V. fluid delivery system market. In addition, Abbott said it now holds more than 60% of the $300 mil. U.S. market for oral medical nutritional products. Overall, Abbott sales rose 13.3% in 1986 to over $3.8 bil. Net earnings increased 16% to $540 mil. Abbott added that it achieved its record profits during a year it increased R&D expenditures by 18% to $285 mil. Fourth quarter sales volume grew 11.4% to over $1.06 bil., generating a 13.6% increase in net earnings to $160.6 mil. Abbott's international business in 1986 grew faster than its domestic operations: sales in overseas markets grew 22.1% to $1.22 bil. while U.S. sales increased 9.6% to $2.6 bil. The growth in the international business, Abbott explained, "reflected the impact of a weaker U.S. dollar, new product introductions and good unit growth." However, despite the growth overseas, U.S. operations generated just over two-thirds of Abbott's volume last year. Abbott reported that it is continuing to benefit from the cost-containment environment in the hospital marketplace. In crediting Abbott's 1986 success to "meeting the needs of health care providers facing mounting cost-containment pressures," Abbott Chairman Robert Schoellhorn said the firm has "maintained a competitive advantage . . . by offering a diversified line of cost-effective products that help make health care delivery more productive and thus more affordable."