Our cholesterol franchise continues to be a critical growth driver.

We have delivered on our promise of achieving a turnaround in 1998 and double-digit earnings growth for the full year,

We have now registered our fourth consecutive quarter of strong sales growth and our third consecutive quarter of higher earnings, excluding special items,

The increased capital will spur further growth for the company and is part of the process of re-engineering our business to remain successful in the increasingly competitive telecommunications environment.

We are building a special capability at Schering-Plough to respond to these and other challenges with innovation, speed and flexibility. We aspire to continue being the company delivering the most positive change of any in our peer group, as we work to deliver our Turnaround and advance our six- to eight-year Action Agenda for transformational change.

Looking ahead, we continue on track to build Schering- Plough into a company with the strength and breadth to deliver long-term high performance. We are moving from survive mode into thrive mode.