Bristol-Myers Squibb, a global pharmaceutical and related health care products company, has lower its previously disclosed full year 2006 guidance for fully diluted earnings per share by $ 0.95 due to launch of generic clopidogrel bisulfate products in US by Apotex Corporation on August 8, 2006. Clopidogrel bisulfate product competes with Plavix, a product marketed jointly by Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The company projected fully diluted earnings per share between $ 1.15 and $ 1.25 for 2006.
However, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the motion by Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb for a preliminary injunction on August 31, 2006, which halted sales of Apotex's generic clopidogrel bisulfate product.
Neither the amount of sales made by Apotex prior to this injunction, nor the effect of these sales on market conditions, is currently known. The company is currently seeking to evaluate the impact of Apotex's sales of its generic product prior to the injunction on market conditions, including whether such sales generated or resulted in quantities of generic clopidogrel bisulfate in the distribution channels that could satisfy substantially all market demand in the US in 2006 and possibly into 2007.
Based on the assumption that Apotex sales of generic clopidogrel made prior to the imposition of the preliminary injunction satisfy substantially all market demand in the US in 2006, Bristol-Myers Squibb has reduced its previously disclosed full year 2006 guidance for fully diluted earnings per share from continuing operations to no less than $ 0.95.