Pharmaceuticals again led the way with strong sales growth across all the major therapeutic areas.

As I have said publicly, I am committed to delivering on the company's quality and compliance objectives back on its growth track.

[The company] achieved a strong performance in 1999, recording double-digit growth in earnings per share for the 14th consecutive year, ... In 2000, we expect Schering-Plough will deliver another year of solid growth.

Schering-Plough continued its strong 1998 performance in the third quarter, ... Led by established product lines and new product entries, higher sales were recorded by our worldwide ethical pharmaceuticals, consumer health care products and worldwide animal health businesses.

For the 2002 fiscal year, we are expecting a percentage increase in earnings per share in the low double digits.