Chennai/Hyderabad: Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Germany-based global crop sciences major Bayer AG, and GVK Biosciences Private Limited (GVK Bio) of Hyderabad have entered into a research cooperation agreement in the area of early discovery chemistry here on Tuesday.

The objective of the agreement is to speed up the search for promising active ingredients for innovative crop protection products. Under the agreement, Bayer CropScience will integrate GVK Bio capacities in the early part of its discovery chemistry process.

“We want to further speed up the development of our successful crop protection R&D pipeline and we look forward to working with GVK Bio, Asia’s leading contract research organisation,” Alexander Klausener, head of research at Bayer CropScience, stated in a press release.

“This cooperation in the area of early discovery chemistry will help Bayer CropScience to further increase efficiency in its research. It will also help our company to participate in the quickly developing scientific environment in India,” he added.

According to GVK Bio president Manni Kantipudi, agriculture and crop sciences research is a key focus area for GVK Bio, which has built “world-class capabilities in early discovery chemistry.”

With expenditures of euro 649 million in research and development in 2008, Bayer CropScience is one of the leading innovative companies in the agricultural industry.

Source : Business Standard.  25/11/09

Packaging giant Tetra Pak has announced that it will undertake a trial of a green plastic made from sugarcane.  Today’s news release said Tetra Pak will purchase limited volumes of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) derived from sugarcane feedstock. The companies say this is “the first move toward using green polyethylene in the carton packaging industry.”

Braskem, one of the world’s leading petrochemical companies, will be producing green polyethylene at a commercial-scale plant in the second half of 2010. The announcement indicated Braskem would “begin supplying Tetra Pak with 5 Ktons per year of green HDPE from 2011, for use in the production of plastic caps and closures.” Earlier this year, Braskem announced that it would be supplying Johnson & Johnson with its green plastics for its Sundown brand of comestic products.

Braskem’s green plastic factory will use ethanol derived from sugarcane to produce ethylene, which will then be converted into polyethylene, the world’s most commonly used plastic. According to Braskem, this new polymer, while made 100% renewable raw materials, “has the same appearance and properties of traditional plastics in the final product, the difference is that it can capture CO2 from the atmosphere, i.e. one ton of green resin captures 2.5 tons of CO2.”

Today’s Wall Street Journal VentureWire says, “Anyone who’s been putting their green into the green stuff that grows in ponds — i.e., algae — may be set to hit the jackpot. Dow Jones Newswires reports that Capitol Hill is currently considering legislation which would boost the industry by expanding the definition of biofuels under the Renewable Fuels Standard to include algae-based fuels, and may grant companies algal biofuel tax credits as well.”

Waltham, MA-based ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: IMGN) said recently that Amgen has purchased a second license to develop a treatment that uses ImmunoGen’s technology for linking targeted antibodies to cell-killing agents that make them more potent. ImmunoGen will get $1 million upfront and could receive $34 million worth of milestone payments over time if Amgen is successful in developing a drug against an undisclosed target on cancer cells. Amgen bought its first such license to the ImmunoGen technology in September.

This blog page is being developed ….  Please bookmark for future reference.

This year, $416 million is expected to be spent on mobile advertising in the U.S., per eMarketer, which equals about two weeks worth of spending on search marketing. Adweek’s Brian Morrissey examines what’s needed to take mobile to the next level.  Adweek

New Delhi: Pune-based Indus Biotech would be starting clinical trials for its HIV botanical drug molecule in the US soon. The company claims this antiviral has also shown promising results for the pandemic H1N1 during initial clinical trials. Indus, founded by Sunil Bhaskaran and Rajan Srinivasan in 1997, is two to three weeks away from completion of the phase-I trials for a botanical drug that the company claims could kill both H1N1 and HIV viruses.

Indus is also the first Indian company to have received an Investigational New Drug Number from the US Food and Drug Administration for a botanical anti-viral in HIV research. This permits Indus to conduct further clinical trials related to the drug in the US, the only country in the world that has clear guidelines on botanical drugs.

Once the company compiles data from its phase-I study, it would finalise with USFDA the modalities associated with the clinical trials. “Since the area is uncharted territory, we would have to debate the protocol for advanced clinical trials. If the USFDA limits the subject strength to 20-25, we would manage from our company funds. If they ask us to test on 200 to 500 subjects, we would have to raise funds through PE players, fresh or existing or other means,” Srinivasan told FE. Trials on each subject could cost between $20,000 to $30,000.

Two of company’s applications are also being reviewed by DCGI. “Post approval, the clinical trials studies for H1N1 would take five to seven months, while for HIV they would take 18 to 24 months,” said Srinivasan.

The drug, which the company estimates would cost a fraction of anti-retroviral therapy (ART), the current first-line therapy for AIDS, is expected to hit the market in two years from now. ART costs Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per unit per person annually in India. “However it is difficult to comment on the cost now, which would be decided by the marketing partner to who we outlicense the drug. Once the drug is ready to be commercialised, we would start discussions with companies strong in antivirals and anti-infectives,” said Srinivasan. Saying investment in the drug is “significant”, he refused to divulge any figures.

Source : The Financial Express.  20/11/09

Another industry questions the usage of social media.

http://www.lifescienceleader.com/index.php?option=com_jambozine&layout=article&view=page&aid=3922

It looks like an opportunity to me, especially when momnitoring adverse events (sometimes referred to incorrectly as “side effects”)  in patients using the meds.  Even bad news might still be OK.  Adverse events are usually bad news for drug companies.  But if those are reported in real time in controlled environments such as private tweets, the company has a chance to react.  Historically, pharma companies are too big to turn on a dime.  They don’t stop Phase III trials unless there’s a tremendous reason to do so.  Response times to these events MUST decrease in the 21st century. Profitability depends on it.  Accountability depends on it.  The public will not accept pharma companies who fail to respond promptly to what amounts to ignoring adverse events.

But HIPAA has yet to surface on the subject…

-Tim Tucker

Another industry questions the usage of social media.

http://www.lifescienceleader.com/index.php?option=com_jambozine&layout=article&view=page&aid=3922

It looks like an opportunity to me, especially when momnitoring adverse events (sometimes referred to incorrectly as “side effects”)  in patients using the meds.  Even bad news might still be OK.  Adverse events are usually bad news for drug companies.  But if those are reported in real time in controlled environments such as private tweets, the company has a chance to react.  Historically, pharma companies are too big to turn on a dime.  They don’t stop Phase III trials unless there’s a tremendous reason to do so.  Response times to these events MUST decrease in the 21st century. Profitability depends on it.  Accountability depends on it.  The public will not accept pharma companies who fail to respond promptly to what amounts to ignoring adverse events.

But HIPAA has yet to surface on the subject…

-Tim Tucker

Jobs continue to appear each week despite the impending holiday.  See downloadable list Jobs That Crossed My Desk Through Nov. 22,2009

Remember to take some time to celebrate all the things you can be thankful for and remember you will survive this economic downturn. I say this with voice of experience–I was unemployed 3 out of the last 5 downturns starting with my job search just after completing my Ph.D. I am thankful to all the wonderful industry contacts you helped me redirect and/or chart a new course each time. Shake off any tendency to feel bitter about a layoff or punish yourself for not getting the job at your last interview. The most unwelcome addition to a firm is a person who views the glass half empty.

It’s common that after returning to full time work, people regret that they didn’t take more time to smell the roses, exercise, cultivate friendships, attend their children’s soccer games, work in the garden, even clean out the storage room while they had so much available time while transitioning. High achieving folks miss the accomplishments of work and feeling of satisfaction that feeds the mind and spirit. Experiencing achievements through projects at home, fraternal, civic and religious organizations can help feed your unconscious with positive experiences that maintain your good spirits and sense of purpose and self respect.

Remember what goes around comes around–play “pass it forward.” Good jobs come from relationships you’re established that were reciprocal in nature. So become involved with helping others in your network, establish one if you haven’t so far. Research companies carefully before interviewing–you need to establish connection of your skills and experience to possible solutions needed by company to which you’re applying. Practice your “elevator pitch” while networking with these safe contacts at local meetings.

Be sure to find contacts at the target hiring company to whom you might request they submit your resume directly. The Bio2Device Group is ideal for this since it’s a large group with weekly events and 60 to 100 attendees from diverse companies and functions. Even those who are in transition can help you connect with jobs of which they become aware but that don’t fit for them but do for you.

I send you a virtual hug to embrace your outstanding capability and innate good nature and caring on this Thanksgiving! Although it may sound silly, you can achieve a real lift from self embracing yourself (that’s right–wrap your arms around yourself) and remind yourself that you are a valuable person. I believe you can find the career that suits you and in which you can continue to grow and prosper but you need to believe in yourself.

See you on Dec. 1st at the upcoming Bio2Device Group meeting when we have an outstanding speaker on how a foundation such as the Parkinson’s Institute right in our backyard can play a role in bringing important drugs to market. I’ll only be able to stay until 10:15 am this week due to meeting that follows so won’t have as much time to network individually with you but will be more available at the BayBio Medical Device breakfast on the 8th and that evening at the Bio2Device Group when we have another outstanding industry speaker traveling from the East Coast to speak to us.

I look forward to seeing some of you at the upcoming UCSC Ext. Bioscience Business Development course in Santa Clara, Dec. 3-4th.

Have a great week and wonderful holiday! You deserve it.

Audrey

3SBio is a Chinese Biotech company.

I bought 110 SSRX shares on Aug 1 2008 for $9.15 each. I spent a total amount of $1001.5

Today I sold 77  SSRX shares @ $13.21. I made a total amount of $ 1017.17.

I am $11 richer and I do own 33  free  SSRX shares, which hopefully one day will make me rich, thanks to my free stocks strategy.

According to Carbon Control News (subscription required), “Industry officials say alternative jet fuels could play a central role in reducing aviation’s carbon footprint, but a new study commissioned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finds many of those fuels are actually worse for the climate than conventional petroleum, and that those which do produce fewer lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions “are costly and could potentially be counterproductive.”

www.newmediaexplorer.org/…/pesticidedanger.jpg

New Report: GMOs Causing Massive Pesticide Pollution

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-kimbrell/new-report-gmos-causing-m_b_362888.html

Andrew Kimbrell -  Nov. 21, 2009

Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety

There is one fact about genetically engineered foods that there is no debate about: no one wakes up in the morning eager to buy gene-altered food. There’s good reason for this. Genetically modified foods do nothing for the “eating public”. They provide no extra nutrition, flavor, safety or any other trait that people actually want. Instead, these food products only offer risks, which include potential toxicity, allergenecity, and lower nutritional value.

This presents a tough problem for the Monsantos of the world, who are pushing these GM foods. How can you sell something to the public that offers no benefits to them? And, because of their lobbying power, the biotech companies have ensured that their products are not labeled. So Monsanto’s real request of the public is “be unknowing guinea pigs for foods that make us a lot of money and offer you nothing but risk.”

Obviously this message is a PR nightmare, so Monsanto has come up with a spin that is old as public relations itself: “accept and buy our products because they will help the world.” More particularly, their ads displayed in mass transit systems around the country and regularly on NPR claim that GM foods “will feed a hungry world” and “reduce the load of pesticides” used in agriculture.

Not surprisingly, both these claims turn out to be self-serving myths. Earlier this year the Union of Concerned Scientists issued a detailed report entitled “Failure to Yield”. The report’s findings were straightforward and incontrovertible. After 21 years of research, billions of dollars of investments in public and private funds, and more than 13 years of commercialization, GM crops have done nothing to significantly increase yield: so much for the “feeding the world’s hungry” spin.

Now, a new report from The Organic Center, “Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years”, exposes the “less pesticide” myth. The report, which was released on Tuesday, was authored by Dr. Charles Benbrook, a leading agricultural scientist….

Related: By Rady Ananda

Poison on the Platter video link

http://radyananda.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/poison-on-the-platter-video-link/

This full length film chronicles the disastrous consequences of GM food in India. The United States does not require GM food be labeled here. Seventy percent of US food is genetically modified.

“Sejal” posted this 30-minute video on the web a few weeks ago, writing:

“‘Poison on the Platter’ is an eye-opening film, made by Mahesh Bhatt and Ajay Kanchan, illustrating how all of our lives are gonna be (adversely) affected by genetically modified foods. It is no more a farmer’s issue alone, it’s a matter of the consumers’ right to food safety…

Dateline: Havana

Can product development partnerships (PDPs) deliver? This was the question tackled during a session at this week’s Global Forum for Health Research in Havana. The presentations actually spoke little to the topic—perhaps because PDPs are taking on some of the biggest scientific challenges of our time such as developing a HIV vaccine, a tuberculosis vaccine, and broad-spectrum anti-virals. But it is a question worth asking.

PDPs are a relatively new concept. The earliest were started just over 10 years ago and are either free standing nonprofit organizations or several different product programs housed together under one nonprofit. The basic concept when they began was that industry has expertise and capabilities that are needed to make new vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics for neglected diseases affecting poor countries but this expertise and capability is not being applied to diseases primarily affecting the developing world. PDPs were created to bridge the gap between global health need (public sector) and an innovation system that responds to market demand (private sector).

Given the timelines for developing novel drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics, it may be too early to say if PDPs have indeed delivered upon their promise. What is stunning is that no one has developed evaluation metrics to measure either effectiveness or efficiency, and no PDP has been evaluated by such metrics. Billions of dollars have been invested in these mechanisms by philanthropic organizations such as The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and bilateral donor governments such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.K. Department for International Development.

The companies who make products are evaluated daily by their shareholders or at least quarterly by their venture capitalists or investment bankers. Companies also use internal metrics to improve their business processes and improve profits. One company was able to reduce their time to peak sales in half in a short period of time, greatly improving their profits. Should we not be taking the same approach in the public sector—greatly improving the speed of development and uptake of new products so that more lives can be saved?

My guess is that most PDPs would come out well in an evaluation — the pipelines are filling up with new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics targeted toward neglected diseases. But for some diseases, a single PDP is virtually the only mechanism for funding research on that specific disease intervention. We should assure ourselves as a global health community that these investments are operating efficiently and effectively.

We as a community stand the strong chance of donor fatigue because the funding for PDPs often comes from agencies who measure outcomes in election cycles. It may take decades for new chemical entities, novel vaccines, and appropriate diagnostics to be developed because in addition to market barriers, many of the neglected diseases being tackled are scientifically very challenging. Adopting robust evaluation schemes now may help to show interim progress that points towards timelines for future products with health outcomes that can be counted in hundreds of millions of lives saved.

–Melinda Moree is the interim CEO of BVGH

Over the past few weeks I have learned about an awesome micro-seed incubator in Cleveland called Goldstein, Caldwell & Associates (www.GoldCald.com) that is experiencing some impressive growth. While there are certainly other incubators in town, what makes GCA unique is their focus on young entrepreneurs, many of whom are still in college, who are launching companies with technologies ranging from clean energy to web-based businesses.

Modeled after incubators on the coasts such as TechStars (techstars.org) in Boston and Colorado, and YCombinator (ycombinator.com) in California, GCA’s goal is not only to provide companies with seed capital (typically in the $5k to $10k range), but also with a place to work, mentorship, and strategic assistance with simply getting a young business off the ground.

They have a number of companies in their portfolio already, including Flex Hire (flexhire.com) that streamlines the application process for job seekers, and Sunflower Solutions (www.sunflower-solutions.com) which created a way to manually re-position solar panels to capture more energy as the sun moves throughout the day. Both of which are run by young, passionate entrepreneurs.

They are always looking for new portfolio companies, so check out the site if you’re interested in finding out more and applying for a position in the incubator.

General Electric, Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer and airline Azul (owned by Jet Blue’s founder), and biotech start up Amyris Biotechnologies are assessing the use of sugarcane-based renewable fuel in passenger jets, a press release said Wednesday.  The parties signed a memorandum of understanding to assess technical aspects of the renewable fuel with the aim to launch test flights by 2012. According to a Dow Jones article, Amyris is developing the fuel, while GE will develop the engines that will be used on an an Embraer aircraft belonging to Azul.

Dateline: Havana

Havana? Yes, I’m blogging from Havana, where I am attending the Global Forum for Health Research Annual Conference. This year’s theme—“Innovating for the Health of All”—is perfectly in line with our goals at BVGH to bring capable innovators and technological know-how to global health research and development. Even more exciting, the Forum’s location in Cuba is drawing attention to Latin America at exactly the right moment.

Why does Latin America deserve all eyes and ears right now?

First, a number of diseases endemic to Latin America and the Caribbean are, at long last, gaining important publicity. The poster child example of this is Chagas disease, which was discovered in 1909 by Carlos Chagas, a medical doctor in Brazil. The disease now affects more than 8 million in Latin America and approximately 300,000 in the United States. For decades, the disease was systematically ignored by researchers and patients were offered little in the way of effective treatment. The only drugs that exist today, nifurtimox and benznidazole, both have high toxicities and long treatment times. There is no point of care diagnostic and no test of cure. However, this neglect is beginning to change. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) have embarked on an advocacy campaign around the issue. DNDi is also building a pipeline of drugs to test against the parasite that causes Chagas disease and to help identify clinical trials capacity for drug trials. BVGH is working behind the scenes to make sure that important compounds make it to the relevant players in drug development. The synergy in the global health community around the need to find new and better drugs and diagnostics for Chagas disease—and to treat those patients already affected—makes now an important time for the global health community to gather in Latin America to focus on the need for innovation.

More importantly, Latin America now has a thriving biopharmaceutical sector. Brazil’s well-known generics industry has a long history of success, and public sector research institutions, such as Fiocruz, have strong vaccine capabilities. Fiocruz is building a new translational research facility, and already has an alliance with Genzyme on Chagas disease. In addition, Brazilian President Lula has made innovation a pillar of public policy during his term as president. While Brazil has long been recognized for its growing technological capabilities, other countries in Latin America stand out as well. Mexico is among one of the top ten drug producers in the world, and remains the largest drug exporter in Latin America ($1.5 billion in exports in 2007). In both Brazil and Mexico, there is a growing interesting in innovative pharmaceuticals.

Sadly, less than USD 1 million was spent last year on research and development (R&D) for new drugs for Chagas. But there is a real opportunity here for capable innovators with compounds that could be tested for activity against Chagas to join in the movement that will only grow. These large, mid-size, or small companies could, in partnership, reduce their risks of development. An R&D incentive would also certainly help to fill up the pipeline quickly with a newer generation of drugs. The innovation process that creates novel compounds from good research ideas is still largely not found in the developing world, as was discussed in a very interesting forum held Monday by the Pan American Health Organization. The space is open for drug hunting companies and diagnostic companies to step into. Our Board chair Carl Feldbaum, our VP of Business Development David Cook, former BVGH CEO Chris Earl, and I spent a fair amount of time discussing the value that BVGH could add to solving the problem of Chagas, which causes so much suffering in Latin America. Fueled by cigar smoke (Yes—I did!) we see the opportunity. If you want to see it too—please be in touch with us.

–Melinda Moree is the interim CEO of BVGH

You can contact BVGH by emailing info@bvgh.org, or by calling 202-312-9260.

Hi,

There are so many interesting events the balance of this week prior to next week’s blackout for Thanksgiving holiday that I’m writing this special edition of Audrey’s Picks of the Month to be sure you look at them. I’ve listed the topics and speakers below. You can find complete details in the downloadabe Word document  MeetingLisNov1709

Note the discount for my “Bioscience Business Development: Building Value” course at UCSC Extension Dec. 3-4 ends this Thursday, Nov. 19th. Have a great Thanksgiving! 

• Palo Alto AWIS, Wednesday Evening, November 18, 2009

Topic: “10 Top Tips for Using Linked In Effectively”, Speaker: Patrice Reid, Career Management Consultant, Date and Time: Wednesday, Nov. 18 2009, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

• Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), Wed. Evening, Nov. 18

Topic: “The development of the LATITUDE Patient Management System”, Speaker: Ken Hoyme, Sr. Fellow – Systems Engineering, Boston Scientific – Cardiac Rhythm Management , Date and Time: Wednesday,  November 18, 2009,  7:30 pm

• Bioscience Science Forum, Wednesday Evening, Nov. 18, 2009

Topic: “Infectious Disease Research in the 21st Century”, Speaker: Hans Reiser, M.D., Vice President, Biology, Gilead Sciences, Inc, Date and Time: Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

• Bay Bio Therapeutic Breakfast, Thursday Morning, November 19, 2009

Topic: “Running a Virtual Company”, Moderator: Carole-Lynn Glass, Director, Emerging Growth Services, RoseRyan, Inc. , Panel Speakers: William J Garner, MD, Chief Executive Officer, Urigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc;.  Barbara K. Finck, M.D., Senior Vice President, Research and Development and
Chief Medical Officer, Osprey Pharmaceuticals, U.S.A., Inc.., Brian C. Cunningham, Senior Counsel, Morrison & Foerster LLP, CEO and Director, Clerigen Inc., Date and Time: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, 8:00 – 10:00 am

• Special Event At Stanford University, Thursday Afternoon, Nov. 19, 2009

Topic: “Investing in Knowledge from Asia: Technology Areas and Opportunities”, Panel Discussion that includes Shirley Chen, Ph.D., Esq. talking about “sustainable health” using natural botanicals , Date and Time: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 4:15 PM – 5:30 PM

• East Bay AWIS, Thursday Evening, Nov. 19, 2009

Topic: “Effective Boss Management:Winning Strategies for Managing “UP”, Date and Time: Thursday, Nov. 19, 6:30pm – 8:30pm, Light supper*** and networking 6:30pm – 7:00pm

• Parenteral Drug Association (PDA), Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

Topic: Workshop on FDA’s New Guidance on Process Validation, November 20 , Sessions available to listen in on during the Workshop on FDA’s New Guidance on Process , Plenary Session 1: Process and Validation Program Design, Part 1, Date and Time: Fri. Nov. 20 | 8:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

• CABS Scientific Workshop, Saturday Afternoon, Nov. 21, 2009
  Topic: “Preclinical Development and IND Filing: the nuts, bolts, and best practices”
  Speakers: Cuiping “Tracy” Chen, Ph.D., Director, PK, Depomed Inc., Linval Depass, Ph.D., Executive Director, Nonclinical Safety, Durect Inc., Bert Ho, Head, Ph.D., Pharmaceutical Development, ChemoCentryx Inc., Hua Mu, M.D. & Liang Fang, Ph.D., Genentech Inc. , Date and Time: Sat., Nov 21, 2009; 12:30 – 5:30 PM (Check-in time: 12:30 – 1:00 pm)

• Bioscience Business Development: Building Value, Thursday and Friday, Dec. 3-4, 2009

Intensive Course: Bioscience Business Development: Building Value, Thursday and Friday, Dec. 3-4, 2009 ((2 days of classroom and 2 months to complete project guided by instructor), Instructors: Audrey S. Erbes, Ph.D., Principal, Erbes & Associates and www.audreysnetwork.comand and Gilbert R. Mintz, Ph.D., President of GRM Associates

Expert Guest Speakers:

Harold (Hal) Etterman, MBA, Business Strategist

Jim Fox, Ph.D., J.D.,  Goodwin Procter LLP

Carolyn Feamster, MBA, VP, Business Strategy & Analysis

Tom Gutshall, Chairman & Co-Founder of Cepheid

Michael G. McCully, M.S., Director, Recombinant Capital

Date & Time: Oct. 8-9, 2009, Thursday and Friday, 8:30am-5pm

Fee: $770; Note discount ends Thursday, Nov. 19^th–$693 through Nov. 19

Audrey

Gloucester Pharmaceuticals received FDA approval for Istodax, a small-molecule treatment for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. CEO Alan Colowick said the biotech startup plans to introduce the drug in January.  The Boston Globe

The continued rise in drilling activity in the U.S. prompted an increase in the number of oil and gas rigs last week, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. Compared with the week before, the number of total rigs last week increased by nine, to 1,078, while the number of gas rigs increased by six, to 734, the company reported.  The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires

This article appeared in print on November 17, 2009, on page A32 of the New York edition of the NY Times.

For a depressing example of how members of Congress can be spoon-fed the views and even the exact words of high-powered lobbying firms, consider remarks inserted into the Congressional Record after the debate and vote on health care reform in the House.

As Robert Pear reported in The Times on Sunday, statements inserted into the official record by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by lobbyists working for Genentech, a large biotechnology company that expects to prosper under some of the provisions in the reform legislation. The company estimates that 22 Republicans and 20 Democrats picked up some of its talking points.

The comforting news is that none of the ghostwritten material sought to change the contents of the bill, which was not open to much revision during the debate. Rather, the statements were inserted into the Congressional Record as revisions and extensions of briefer remarks made by legislators on the House floor. Still, there they are in the official record for historians to read, or perhaps a judge trying to determine the lawmakers’ intent in passing this bill.

The apparent goal was to show that, even though there were sharp divisions between the parties on the overall reform bill (only one Republican voted for it), there was bipartisan support for provisions relating to drugs produced by the biotechnology industry. One provision, for example, would allow generic competition to expensive biological drugs but only after the original manufacturer had enjoyed 12 years of exclusive use, a generous period by anyone’s standards.

An e-mail message from one top lobbyist urged his colleagues to conduct “aggressive outreach” to Congressional staff members to secure as many supportive statements from their bosses “as humanly possible.” Sure enough, Republicans who denounced the overall bill, said in their industry-fed statements that the biological drug provisions struck “the appropriate balance.”

It is disturbing that the industry was able to so easily shape the official record to its liking. It is even more disturbing that so many members of Congress were willing to parrot the industry talking points.

This article appeared in print on November 17, 2009, on page A32 of the New York edition of the NY Times.

MORE —> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/opinion/17tue3.html

While glasses that turn a shade darker under bright sunlight have been around for forty years, only recently has someone developed a pair of contact lens that does the same.

Even better, through the use of some nifty nano-engineering, these photochromic (that’s the scientific term folks) lens perform even better than their traditional, frame-rimmed counterparts. According to the director of the Singaporean institute responsible for this development, the contact lens adapt faster, thanks to the use of a network of really tiny tunnels distributed evenly throughout the lens.

These tunnels contain the dye that automatically adjusts to the sunlight; the structure itself allows more of this dye to exist in the same area, granting the sensitivity and speed benefits noted above.

No word yet on market availability or price.
Article Source:
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23922/

 

UV Contact Lens that Darkens Automatically Under Sunlight
noreply@blogger.com (Michael McCarty)
Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:56:46 GMT