Hard to imagine, but Pfizer’s Exubera showed some big gains in new and total prescriptions earlier this month. The insulin inhaler, which some people have likened to a bong, managed to generate a 19.9 percent gain in new Rx and a 20.4 percent gain in total prescriptions.

This happened just days after Pfizer execs conceded the new gizmo wasn’t doing so well and a big advertising push is planned. Maybe all that bad publicity actually generated some curiosity. Of course, whether this can last remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Merck continues to give Novartis fits. Its new Januvia diabetes pill accounted for 7.1 percent and 3.7 percent of new Rx and total Rx market share through Feb. 2. Novartis sales reps will have their work cut out for them once Galvus is approved.

(Thanks to Mike King at Rodman & Renshaw, whose research report this morning included the latest scrip data from IMS Health). [tags]Exubera, Januvia, Merck, Pfizer[/tags]