Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: MannKind, Pfizer, Inc., Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Alkermes Pharmaceuticals.

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – June 8, 2009 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: MannKind (MNKD - Analyst Report), Pfizer, Inc. (PFE - Analyst Report), Novo Nordisk (NVO - Snapshot Report), Eli Lilly (LLY - Analyst Report) and Alkermes Pharmaceuticals (ALKS - Analyst Report).

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Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Raising MannKind to Hold

We believe that MannKind’s (MNKD - Analyst Report) Afresa offers distinct advantages over traditional needle-based insulin therapy. The key advantage is the convenience of an inhaled delivery. Diabetes patients using Afresa will no longer have to worry about a needle injection. Along with convenience, Afresa offers rapid uptake into the bloodstream. MannKind has developed Afresa to produce a profile of insulin levels in the bloodstream that approximates the first-phase insulin spike normally seen in healthy individuals following the beginning of a meal.

Elimination of competition may help Afresa's sales ramp

The diabetes market is perhaps one of the largest opportunities in pharmaceuticals. At present, traditional needle-based insulin therapy dominates the market.

Competition in the inhaled insulin field, which was crowded with late-stage drugs under development at large-cap pharmaceutical companies one year ago, is virtually nil now.

The change in the competitive landscape began with the withdrawal of Exubera from the market by Pfizer, Inc. (PFE - Analyst Report) in October 2007. This was followed by the discontinuation of the AER-X program by Novo Nordisk (NVO - Snapshot Report) in January 2008 and then the announcement by Eli Lilly (LLY - Analyst Report) in March 2008 to discontinue the development of the AIR Insulin (co-developed with Alkermes Pharmaceuticals [ALKS - Analyst Report]). While Pfizer blamed the pullout on poor sales of the drug (only $12 million in the first three quarters of 2007), others cited the lack of confidence in the regulatory environment and market prospect for an inhaled insulin product.

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