61.   That is not expected to change for the next few years, Novo said, even if it starts marketing the drug now.

62.   The company said U.S. sales were strong as the Food and Drug Administration approved marketing the drug as a treatment for eating disorders.

63.   The company already had FDA approval to market the drug for treatment of hypertension, a condition marked by high blood pressure.

64.   The company announced today that it has applied for approval for Copaxone from British regulatory authorities, in a first step toward marketing the drug across the European Union.

65.   The company expects to begin marketing the drug later this year.

66.   The company intends to start marketing the drug even before an adequate backlog of inventory is in place.

67.   The drug is marketed in the U.S. by Warner-Lambert and Sankyo under the name Rezulin.

68.   The drug was marketed mostly in Eastern Europe to treat a range of conditions, including progressive muscular dystrophy.

69.   The decision is a blow to ViroPharma and to Aventis S.A., the European pharmaceutical company, which would market the drug in the United States and Canada.

70.   The company is seeking to market the drug in Europe, which is now being evaluated by the European Commission, said a spokesman.