Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Your thoughts on Teva Pharma on Nasdaq?

Article Excerpt

A: Teva Pharmaceutical, $42.34, symbol TEVA on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 888.9 million; Market cap: $37.6 billion), is one of the world’s largest generic pharmaceutical companies. Israel-based Teva makes and sells more than 500 generic drugs in North America, which accounts for 59% of its total sales, Europe (26%) and the rest of the world (15%). Teva also develops and markets some name-brand proprietary drugs, including Copaxone, the second-largest multiple sclerosis drug, and Azilect, a new Parkinson’s drug. Teva is one of the most successful firms in the competitive generic drug business. It regularly wins “first-to-file” applications on drugs whose U.S. patents are expiring. Getting a first-to-file application approval gives Teva exclusive marketing rights for the generic version of a drug for six months. For example, Teva recently won first-to-file rights for a generic version of the schizophrenia drug Risperdal, which was originally developed by Johnson & Johnson. Teva continues to grow by acquisition. In July 2008, it bought U.S.-based Barr Pharmaceuticals (the…