Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Can I have your opinion on Endo Pharmaceuticals? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Endo Pharmaceuticals, $38.80, symbol ENDP on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 117.3 million; Market cap: $4.6 billion; www.endo.com) researches, develops and sells branded and generic drugs that are mainly used to treat pain. Endo markets to drug wholesalers, large drug chains, doctors and other health-care professionals. Its main branded products include Lidoderm for postherpetic neuralgia (a complication of shingles, which is in turn is caused by the chicken pox virus), Percocet for acute pain, and Frova for acute migraine headaches. Endo’s largest generic product is oxycodone. In the three months ended December 31, 2010, Endo’s revenue rose 30.6%, to $511.2 million from $391.4 million a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, earnings per share rose 30.9%, to $1.06 from $0.81. Lidodern accounts for about 45% of the company’s sales. Demand for this drug is strong, but the last of Lidoderm’s patents expire in 2012. After that, it will be open to generic competition. That adds risk. Still, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has…