Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: What do you think about Teva Pharmaceuticals (Teva) after its big price drop?

Article Excerpt

A: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (ADR), $15.89, symbol TEVA on Nasdaq (ADRs outstanding: 1.0 billion; Market cap: $16.4 billion; www.tevapharm.com), is a global pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. It also produces its own proprietary drugs. They include Copaxone (used to treat multiple sclerosis) and Azilect (for Parkinson’s disease). About 75% of the Israel-based company’s sales are derived from North America and Europe. Teva has long been one of the most successful companies in the highly competitive generic drug business. It has regularly won first-to-file applications on drugs whose U.S. patents are expiring. Approval of a first-to-file application gives Teva exclusive marketing rights for a drug’s generic version for six months. However, the stock is down sharply from around $31 in August to today’s price. Most recently, the stock dropped last week (Oct. 5) on a surprise move from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to award approval to rival Mylan N.V. (symbol MYL on…