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The Andhra Journal of Industrial News
(An International Electronic Digest Published from the United States of America)
(Click here to subscribe to this free e-journal)

Chief Editor: Dr. Sreenivasarao Vepachedu

 

Issue 35

5108 Kali Era, Vyaya Year, Pushya/Phalguna month
2064 Vikramarka Era, Vyaya Year, Pushya/Phalguna month
1928 Salivahana Era
Vyaya Year, Pushya/Phalguna month
 2007 AD, February

Contents

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories' Milestone
Ranbaxy Challenges Lipitor
$3 Billion for Stem Cells in California
$110 Million “Biotech Valley” in Israel
Gold Nanoparticles
The global lipitor patent scorecard
Agricultural Industry in India
Office Romance


Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories crosses a Milestone
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (RDY) reported a whopping 160% revenue growth in Q3 FY07 over Q3 FY06, according to its unaudited financial results. In the first nine months of fiscal 2007, which in India runs from April 1 to March 31, G.V. Prasad, CEO, Dr. Reddy's points out that, “for the first time in the history of Dr. Reddy's, we have crossed USD 1 billion in revenues. Starting as an API manufacturer addressing the Indian market, over the last 22 years of our journey, Dr. Reddy's has grown into a vertically integrated global pharmaceutical company with activities spanning the entire pharmaceutical value chain."

Ranbaxy Challenges Lipitor
At issue are three Pfizer patents covering atorvastatin calcium, the active ingredient in Lipitor, as well as processes and intermediate compounds used to make atorvastatin. The latest-expiring of the patents provides coverage for Lipitor through November, 2011. Ranbaxy invalidates Lipitor enantiomer patent in Canada, litigation continues over Calcium salt patent (expires 2010) and basic patent set to expire in May 2007.  In a bold move, Ranbaxy launched generic Atorvastatin on 12 February 2007 in Denmark, prior to a determination of the injunction application or the patent litigation. A Danish court on 23rd has granted a preliminary injunction against Nomeco A/S, the largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in Denmark, that prohibits the sale of a generic version of Lipitor by generics manufacturer Ranbaxy.

$3 Billion for Stem Cells in California
California’s stem cell research program is legal, a state appeals court ruled Monday in a decision that could hasten the day when the state’s $3 billion research effort can get fully under way.
The San Francisco-based court upheld a decision made by a lower court last spring that found that the program did not violate laws concerning state spending, the structure of ballot initiatives or rules regarding conflicts of interest.

California’s program, approved as Proposition 71 by 59 percent of the state voters in 2004, is expected to last about ten years and be the largest research program in the world directed primarily at human embryonic stem cells. Those cells have the potential to turn into any type of cell in the body and could theoretically be used to treat a host of diseases. The state program is intended in part to circumvent limited spending on the area by the federal government. The Bush administration, as well as the opponents who sued to stop the California program, objects to the destruction of discarded human embryos needed to create the stem cells, while the war (@$370 b http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182)  goes on killing innocent real lives of men, women, children, and mothers with their embryonic stem cells.

Lorry I. Lokey, the founder of Business Wire and a passionate supporter of education and science, will give a minimum of $33 million to help build a home for Stanford’s Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.  Lokey’s contribution to the School of Medicine — its largest single gift to date from an individual — will help launch construction of new stem cell laboratories on campus where scientists will probe the power of these elusive cells in treating conditions as diverse as cancer, stroke and diabetes. Lokey hopes the gift will be more than $33 million; the funds are being held in an account that is expected to grow in value before construction begins.  The anticipated schedule for the building calls for groundbreaking in 2009, with completion in 2011. The building, to be located between Campus Drive and the Center for Clinical Sciences Research, will be the first in a series of structures that will house the Stanford Institutes of Medicine. Lokey, who has given away much of his fortune to educational institutions, said he turned his attention to stem cells in 2001, after the Bush administration limited federal funding for stem cell research, discouraging the study of these potentially powerful cells. http://mednews.stanford.edu.


$110 Million “Biotech Valley” in Israel
The Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor together with the United Joint Israel Appeal (UJIA), the United Israel Appeals Federations Canada , Sacta Rashi Foundation, the Jewish Colonization Association, and the Jewish Agency are due to invest $110 million in establishing “Biotech Valley”. The project’s planners believe that a Biotech Valley industrial park will be set up with an initial 20 start-ups, half of which will be in the development stage, and at least one large anchor company. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. already has a facility at Tel Hai College. Tel Hai Academic College, located at Israel’s furthest northern border, offers academic and continuing education programs to some 3500 students from throughout the country.

Gold Nanoparticles
Because gold nanoparticles have a high surface reactivity and biocompatible properties, they can be used for in vivo (inside the bod)) molecular imaging and therapeutic applications, including cancer detection and therapy. The promise of nanomedicine comes from the high surface area and size relationships of nanoparticles to cells, making it possible to target individual cells for diagnostic imaging or therapy. Gold nanoparticles could function as in vivo sensors, photoactive agents for optical imaging, drug carriers, contrast enhancers in computer tomography and X-ray absorbers in cancer therapy. Despite their promise, however, scientists have been plagued with problems making nontoxic gold nanoparticle constructs. The progress of gold nanoparticles has been hindered by the difficulty of making them in a stable, nontoxic form that can be injected into a patient. A research team at the University of Missouri-Columbia has found that a plant extract can be used to overcome this problem, creating a new type of gold nanoparticle that is stable and nontoxic and can be administered orally or injected. A paper describing the team's recent findings, "Gum arabic as a Phytochemical Construct for the Stabilization of Gold Nanoparticles: In Vivo Pharmacokinetics and X-ray Contrast-Imaging Studies," was recently published in the February edition of the journal Small.

The global lipitor patent scorecard (As At 16 February 2007):
http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=46318&email_access=on

Agricultural Industry in India
Nearly 7,000 farmers committed suicide in different parts of the country in just three years, according to government statistics alone. The average is even more frightening: it works out to six farmers killing themselves every day during that period. Despite this, no mechanism has been put in place to monitor the progress of implementation of the Prime Minister’s special package for the farmers of 31 suicide-prone districts across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra, according to the reply furnished by the Union agriculture ministry to a set of questions posed by this newspaper under the Right to Information Act.

The figures, complete only till November 2006, reveal that 6,899 farmers had committed suicide till that date. Of the affected States, Maharashtra, which was singled out by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a special visit, registered a tremendous increase in suicides by farmers with the toll rising from 577 in 2005 to 1,843, according to figures compiled by the State government till October 31, 2006. Until November 2006, the number of farmer suicides in Andhra Pradesh was 139, Karnataka recorded 77 and the state of Kerala recorded 135 suicides. While states like AP, too, witnessed a large number of farmer suicides, 1,843 in a year is unprecedented. Andhra Pradesh had witnessed 1,126 farmer suicides in 2004-05; no other state has recorded more than 1,000 farmer suicides in a year. Even in the case of Maharashtra, the distress deaths grew exponentially. In calendar year 2003, the number of deaths was 170, in 2004 622 farmer suicides were recorded, 2005 saw 577 farmers perish, and in 2006 the suicide count reached 1,843

Office Romance
The experts can warn you until they're blue in the face: Beware of office romances. But there that special someone is: So cute, such chemistry, so nice -- this could be the love of your life, or at least the romance of your week. You don't want to just say no, but are you at grave risk of one day getting fired, sued or both? No guarantees, but here are five ways to maximize your chances of enjoying a workplace romance and surviving to tell the tale.

Be Honest with Your Prospective Partner
If you're only looking for a quick fling, don't make long-term-relationship noises in your efforts to seduce. That candor is always important, but especially so in the workplace. If you imply a possible wedding-bell future and then after a hot date or two suddenly cool off, let alone start flirting with another office mate, you're asking for big-time reprisals. Remember the old saying, "Hell hath no fury like a woman (or man) scorned"?

Think Twice Before Starting a Relationship with Your Boss
In some workplaces, this is strictly verboten, but even if it is permissible, beware. If later on, you dump your boss, he may retaliate. For example, "I need you to do this extra work." "Sorry, I can't let you take an extra 15 minutes for lunch." "No, I won't give you any extra resources." The opportunities for torturing you are endless.

In fairness, sometimes a relationship with a boss can yield special privileges, like a corner office. Even if the boss decides to end the relationship, he may give you a promotion or another perk to reduce the risk that you'll file a grievance. One study found that 64 percent of women who had a romantic relationship with their boss reported that, as a result, their work situation improved.

Think 10 Times Before Starting a Relationship with Your Direct Report
That's risky even if the relationship is working well. For example, your honey begs you for a plum assignment that, from a business perspective, you believe should go to someone else. But you feel forced to say yes to your special friend. And if you break off the relationship, you're really in danger: Your former beloved could claim you abused your power. You could end up losing your job and gaining a subpoena.

Keep It Quiet
I know, I know. When you're in love, it's tempting to tell everyone in the office. That's a mistake. From then on, the two of you will be under the microscope. It's even dangerous if the two of you are peers. For example, if you're seen helping your sweetie out with work, someone else who also needs your help may go to the boss and complain you're playing favorites.

"But," you protest, "the chemistry between us is so obvious that everyone already knows we're having a relationship." Chances are, many coworkers don't know. They're wrapped up in themselves; they're not monitoring the vibes between every twosome who walks by. Other coworkers may suspect but can't be sure. If you confirm your relationship to just one person, chances are the whole office will know within 24 hours. And it takes just one disgruntled coworker to make your life miserable. Until it's time to send the wedding invitations, keep the relationship to yourselves.

Have Fun
Actually, the office is a pretty darn good place to meet a romantic partner. Unlike in a bar, where you pick mainly on impulse and an alcohol-impaired chat, at work you get to see more of what a person is really like. So you're more likely to find your valentine at the office water cooler than a barstool.

Just follow these five rules to reduce your risk and then focus on having a great time. Being in love is wonderful -- take it from me. I had an office romance and lived to tell the tale. In fact, I married her. This article originally appeared on Monster Career Advice: http://content.monster.com.


Source: The primary sources cited above,  BBC News, New York Times (NYT), Washington Post (WP), Mercury News, Bayarea.com, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Intellihealthnews, Deccan Chronicle (DC), the Hindu, Hindustan Times, Times of India, AP, Reuters, AFP, womenfitness.net etc.

Notice: The content of the articles is intended to provide general information. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.





Copyright ©1998-2007
Vepachedu Educational Foundation, Inc
Copyright Vepachedu Educational Foundation Inc., 2007.  All rights reserved.  All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for special medical conditions or any specific health issues or starting a new fitness regimen. Please read disclaimer.




Om! Asatoma Sadgamaya, Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya, Mrityorma Amritamgamaya, Om Shantih, Shantih, Shantih!
(Om! Lead the world from wrong path to the right path, from ignorance to knowledge, from mortality to immortality and peace!)
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