Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What do you think of Teva Pharmaceutical? Thanks for your good work.

Article Excerpt

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. ADRs, $39.51, symbol TEVA on Nasdaq (ADRs outstanding: 943.2 million; Market cap: $37.7 billion; www.tevapharm.com), is the world’s largest generic drug maker. In 2011, Israel-based Teva got 56% of its sales by making and selling more than 500 generic drugs. The company also develops and markets some of its own name-brand drugs, including Copaxone, the second-highest-selling multiple-sclerosis treatment, and Azilect, a Parkinson’s drug. Branded drugs supplied 35% of Teva’s 2011 sales. The remaining 9% mainly came from over-the-counter drugs. The U.S. provides 48% of Teva’s sales, followed by Europe (31%) and the rest of the world (21%). Teva is one of the most successful companies in the highly competitive generic drug business. It regularly wins 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. Right now, the company has 63 first-to-file applications before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In all, the…