In Wednesday's US papers

13 August 2003 15:10  [Source: ICIS news]

A summary of political, economic, trade, business and product news affecting the chemical and related industries.

 

International Economics and Politics

Suicide blasts rock Mideast

Two Palestinian suicide bombers blew themselves up in separate incidents in Israel and the West Bank Tuesday, killing two Israelis, injuring at least 17 and threatening to undermine a tenuous cease-fire and the faltering US-backed peace plan. The blasts broke six weeks of relative calm, in which a cease-fire declared by several Palestinian militant groups sharply curtailed such attacks while Israelis and Palestinians wrangled over a peace plan known as the "road map."

The Washington Post, page A1

The New York Times, page A1

The Wall Street Journal, page A8

 

Who urges end of antibiotics for animal growth

The World Health Organization (Who) will recommend today that nations phase out the widespread and controversial use of antibiotic growth promoters in animal feed, saying the move will help preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics for medicine and can be done without significant expense or health consequences to farm animals. Based on a study of Denmark's experience following a 1998 voluntary ban on antibiotic growth promoters, The Who concluded that under similar conditions the use of low-dosage antibiotics "for the sole purpose of growth promotion can be discontinued." The findings and recommendation do not require nations to act. But they will add to the growing movement to stop routine use of antibiotics on farms and to the kind of public pressure that led the McDonald's fast-food chain to recently tell suppliers to cut back on antibiotic growth promoters.

The Washington Post, page A1

 

Public opinion on Bush stabilises

Support for President George W Bush on Iraq appears to have stabilised after a precipitous drop earlier, but three months after the end of major combat in the Persian Gulf region, the public is again sharply divided along partisan lines over the war and other key aspects of Bush's presidency, according to a new Washington Post poll. The return to a polarised political climate, coming so quickly after a period of relative unity during the height of the fighting in Iraq, foreshadows a contentious re-election campaign for the president. The public mood also carries risks for the president's Democratic challengers, who are attempting to appeal to the strong anti-Bush sentiment within their party without jeopardising the need to attract independent and swing voters in next year's general election.

The Washington Post, page A1

 

Liberian rebels to leave capital

Rebels who hold much of Liberia's capital announced Tuesday that they will pull out of the devastated city by Thursday and leave it to a growing peacekeeping force that will attempt to restore order following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and his flight into exile. Residents and refugees crammed into Monrovia have been clamouring for food, but rebels control the port and its bounty of humanitarian aid.

The Washington Post, page A17

The New York Times, page A8

 

Deal reached with Libya on Pan Am bombing

Libya has pledged to assume responsibility for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and to pay $2.7bn (Euro2.4bn) in compensation to relatives of the 270 victims in exchange for a formal end to an 11-year United Nations embargo, UN diplomats said. US, British and Libyan officials completed the terms of the agreement at a meeting in London on Monday, concluding more than four years of negotiations. If Libya follows through, it would be the first time that the government of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi has admitted any involvement in the jet bombing that killed all 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground.

The Washington Post, page A17

The New York Times, page A11

The Wall Street Journal, page A8

 

Hussein bodyguard captured; bomb kills US soldier

US troops captured a former bodyguard of deposed president Saddam Hussein in northern Iraq and explosives laid by opponents of the US occupation killed an American soldier. Military officials said troops raiding homes in Tikrit, a city about 90 miles north of Baghdad that is the centre of Hussein's home region and home to many of his loyalists, caught the bodyguard along with a former Iraqi general and 12 other suspected supporters of the ousted government. The officials did not identify those arrested or speculate whether their capture had brought US forces closer to the fugitive Iraqi leader. Hussein's capture or death is a goal of commanders in Iraq, who hope to undercut resistance among his supporters.

The Washington Post, page A22

 

Panel urges shift of focus in preparing for smallpox

A panel of scientists said Tuesday that the focus of the nation's smallpox preparedness program should move away from vaccinations and toward measures to improve co-ordination and quicken response time to any public health threat. The Institute of Medicine committee also recommended that when the vaccine becomes available to the general public, access to it should be limited to clinical studies or other carefully structured settings. The report by the Institute of Medicine, which Congress chartered to advise the government on medical policy, was sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. The centre is overseeing the nation's smallpox vaccination program, which is intended to reach some 500 000 military personnel and nearly 500 000 civilian health workers to counter any terrorist attack that might use smallpox as a biological weapon.

The New York Times, page A15

The Wall Street Journal, page D2

 

Physicians group advocates medical coverage for all in US

Citing "irrationality" in the US healthcare system, a group of 8000 physicians is calling for a national health insurance program that would provide medical coverage for all Americans. The government should become the single payer for medical benefits, similar to health systems in Canada and some European countries, according to a proposal endorsed by the group. The proposal, aimed at reopening the debate on providing universal health coverage, advocates the elimination of the current system in which most insured Americans get employer-sponsored coverage from private-sector companies.

The Wall Street Journal, page D2

 

Company News and Results

Schering-Plough issues warning of cash flow

Schering-Plough (S-P) said Tuesday that cash from operations would not cover major expenses for the rest of the year and analysts said the drug maker might cut or eliminate its dividend. The company made a similar statement in May. Schering-Plough, which is based in Kenilworth, New Jersey, reiterated that cash from operations would not cover the costs of working capital, capital expenditures and its dividend. But those costs could be taken care of through investments, debt and $3.6bn in cash. Some analysts said Schering-Plough would probably cut the dividend, which costs it $250m/quarter, to help preserve cash.

The New York Times, page C4

The Wall Street Journal, page C13

 

Court reverses decision in Johnson & Johnson case

A US appeals court reversed a lower court decision Tuesday that would have dismissed a $271m patent infringement verdict that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) had won against Medtronic. The appeals court concluded that a lower court judge erred by overturning the verdict against Medtronic, which held that the company violated J&J patents on stents - wire mesh tubes that prop open cleared arteries. The appeals court sent the case back to the lower court for further proceedings. Medtronic said that the stents were "obsolete and have been replaced." It said it had not determined the impact of the decision on its results.

The New York Times, page C4

 

Pharmaceuticals

AstraZeneca cholesterol drug wins FDA approval

AstraZeneca won US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its Crestor cholesterol-lowering drug, increasing competition for the world's top-selling medicine, Lipitor from Pfizer. AstraZeneca is preparing a marketing campaign for Crestor that research company Datamonitor estimates will cost about $1bn. With approval in the US, Crestor's annual sales might surpass $3bn by 2007, analysts said.

The New York Times, page C4

The Wall Street Journal, page D2

(Some of the above stories may not appear in all editions of the relevant newspapers.)

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