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After falling back to a four-star rank, where it sat for the past several months, Teva Pharmaceutical (Nasdaq: TEVA) has finally seen enough top-performing CAPS members turn bullish to reclaim its coveted five-star status. A total of 1,472 members have given their opinions on the generic-drug maker, with many of them offering analysis and commentary explaining the recent optimism.
Many CAPS members see a big future ahead for generic drugs in general and think they will play a big part in saving health-care costs. Many drugmakers like Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), and Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) will be peering over a patent cliff in upcoming years, and some, like GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK), have already taken the leap. Teva is picking up the pieces as the world's largest generic-drug maker with a successful history of aggressively launching drugs. The company saw a 20% revenue increase in the second quarter, and it plans to keep the pressure on with the launch of a couple dozen more generics by 2010.
Its multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone faces a generic threat of its own coming from Mylan (Nasdaq: MYL), Momenta Pharmaceuticals, and Novartis' (NYSE: NVS) Sandoz, which could keep the company's lawyers busy defending its patents. But Copaxone reached record in-market sales in the second quarter, and a recent study found that the drug also reduces the likelihood of patients progressing to full-blown MS, which may lead some to start treatment early. And with some of its acquisitions last year, Teva picked up several branded drugs as it continues to diversify into that market.
Do you think Teva Pharmaceutical deserves its five-star status? Add your thoughts in the comments box below on this page, or head over to CAPS to rate the company and check out all the information and opinions the community offers, absolutely free.
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