I wonder if there might be something ann. tomorrow regarding...

I wonder if there might be something ann. tomorrow regarding Tibotec, as J&J report their 3rd Q earnings tonight our time (before NY open)

Could it be that AVX will co-incide it with whatever has matured with the collaboration.



Johnson & Johnson To Report Q3 Results: Earnings Preview
Tue. October 13, 2009; Posted: 03:52 AM

(RTTNews) - Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (JNJ | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) is scheduled to announce third-quarter results before the market opens on Tuesday. On average, 17 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the company to earn $1.13 per share for the quarter, while revenues are estimated to be $15.19 billion. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company is engaged in the research and development, manufacturing and sales of various healthcare products. Founded in 1886, the company operates in three segments - Consumer, Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices & Diagnostics. Johnson & Johnson has over 250 operating companies.

The maker of Acuvue contact lenses and Band-Aids is grappling with the economic crisis as well as generic competition that have led to a decline in its revenues. Sales of its blockbuster drugs, the antipsychotic drug Risperdal and epilepsy treatment Topamax, have fallen due to competing generic versions.

In July, the company reported a 3.6% drop in profit for the second quarter, reflecting sales declines across all business segments and geographies. Net earnings declined to $3.21 billion from last year's $3.33 billion. On a per-share basis, earnings fell to $1.15 from $1.17 in the same quarter of last year. Sales for the quarter were $15.24 billion, down 7.4% from $16.45 billion in the year-ago quarter. Sales of Risperdal/Risperidone plunged 66.2% and Topamax fell 40.7% from last year, both negatively impacted by generic competition.

The company has been trying to offset the effects of generic competition by sprucing up its other products, mainly vaccines.

Last month, Johnson & Johnson, through its affiliate JHC Nederland B.V., purchased about 18% stake in Crucell N.V., (CRXL | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) for EUR 301.8 million. Both companies also signed a strategic collaboration focusing on the discovery, development and commercialization of monoclonal antibodies and vaccines for the treatment and prevention of influenza and other infectious and non-infectious diseases.

In July, the company announced a definitive agreement with Elan Corp. Plc. (ELN, ELA.L) whereby Johnson & Johnson would acquire substantially all the assets and rights of Elan related to its Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program and would invest in Elan for an 18.4% stake. In September, the company said its newly created subsidiary, JANSSEN Alzheimer Immunotherapy, invested $885 million in Elan.

In July, Johnson & Johnson also completed the acquisition of Cougar Biotechnology, a development stage biopharmaceutical company with a specific focus on oncology. Cougar is conducting two Phase III trials for abiraterone acetate, a late stage, first-in-class compound for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Also in July, the company's Tibotec unit and Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) signed a license and collaboration agreement for the development and commercialization of a new once-daily fixed-dose antiretroviral regimen containing Gilead's Truvada and Tibotec's investigational non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor TMC278 for treatment-naïve HIV-infected individuals. HIV patients commonly take multiple pills now.

While announcing the second-quarter results, the world's biggest healthcare company confirmed its earnings guidance of $4.45 to $4.55 per share for fiscal year 2009, which excludes the impact of special items. The company is expected to update this outlook today.

Credit Suisse said earlier this month in a client note that its 2009 estimate for the company remains at $4.52. The firm believes that although third-quarter performance will matter for the company, focus will be on 'the initial success recently approved products have obtained, as well as updates on key pipeline products.'

Last month, the company's Cordis unit received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for a new, smaller version of the Cypher Sirolimus-eluting Stent, indicated for the treatment of coronary blockages in small vessels.

Among the latest events is the settlement reached on Tuesday resolving patent suits between Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating). According to the settlement terms, Boston Scientific will pay Johnson & Johnson $716.3 million to settle 14 patent infringement lawsuits involving coronary stents, balloon catheters and other heart devices. The settlement resolves Johnson & Johnson's Cordis Corp. unit's Palmaz infringement suit relating to Boston Scientific's NIR stent as well as several other cardiology-related cases relating to patents in the Ding, Kastenhofer, Palmaz, and Fontirroche patent families.

JNJ closed Monday's regular trade at $62.53, up $0.79 or 1.28%, on 12.70 million shares. For the past year, the stock traded in the range of $46.25-$67.48.

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