Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Biotech / Medical : Monsanto Co. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dan Spillane who wrote (1313)	2/23/1999 1:35:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 2539

Monsanto Celebrex Prescriptions Exceed 400,000, NDC Says Bloomberg News February 23, 1999, 1:03 p.m. ET Monsanto Celebrex Prescriptions Exceed 400,000, NDC Says St. Louis, Feb. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Monsanto Co.'s new arthritis drug Celebrex had 409,000 prescriptions filled in its first five weeks on the market, NDC Health Information Services said, as people looked for a painkiller that's easier on the stomach than older medicines such as ibuprofen. Celebrex sales reached almost 155,000 in the week ended Sunday, according to NDC Health, a unit of Atlanta-based NDC Corp. That's a 35 percent increase over the previous week's 115,000 prescriptions, NDC said. The success of Celebrex's early U.S. introduction is second only to that of Pfizer Inc.'s Viagra, introduced last year, NDC said. In its fifth week on the market, Viagra had 310,000 prescriptions. The drug now has about 150,000 prescriptions a week, NDC said. Celebrex's success may change the way people see Monsanto, a company once better known for the artificial sweetener NutraSweet and the herbicide Roundup than for its drugs. Monsanto fell 1 5/16 to 46 3/4 in early afternoon trading. Shares of the St. Louis-based company rose 2 11/16 to 48 1/16 yesterday after Richard De Schutter, chief executive of Monsanto's Searle unit, told CNBC that prescriptions for the drug had already topped 350,000. Celebrex is the first of a new class of painkillers, the so- called Cox-2 drugs. These medicines appear to be gentler on the stomach because they target an enzyme linked to pain and inflammation more precisely than do older medicines. The older drugs seem to hit a related enzyme and as a result, long-term use of some painkillers can lead to ulcers or stomach bleeding. NDC Health said it estimates the sales by polling several thousand U.S. pharmacies and then projecting what the national sales are. news.com

To: Dan Spillane who wrote (1313)	2/23/1999 1:50:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

Talks stall on setting up global rules to regulate genetically altered crops Tuesday, February 23, 1999 By Bill Lambrecht Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau CARTAGENA, Colombia U.N.-sponsored negotiations to set up global rules for genetically engineered products reached a stalemate on Monday with hopes for a "Cartagena protocol" rapidly diminishing. Representatives from 137 countries broke into groups to make a final attempt at compromise after an emotional airing of frustration about the lack of progress during eight days of talks. Negotiators were meeting through the night and hoped to reach an agreement today. "The protocol is very ill in the hospital, but perhaps it can still recover," said Rafe Pomerance, a deputy assistant secretary of state and a U.S. negotiator. The gathering in Colombia is the last of six negotiating sessions trying to produce a "biosafety protocol" to regulate the flow of genetically modified organisms around the world. It is organized under the United Nations Environmental Program as an outgrowth of the international Convention on Biological Diversity, an agreement reached seven years ago at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A failure to reach agreement would have implications not just for genetic engineering but for the future of the Rio treaty, which is aimed at preserving the global diversity of plants and animals. Many countries around the world worry that environmental and social problems might result from "transgenic" products - crops and food with foreign genes inserted to give new characteristics. The outcome of the Cartegena meeting is important to American farmers, to St. Louis-based Monsanto Co., the leader in genetically engineered crops, and to St. Louis, which is becoming an international center for plant science. Manufacturers and the U.S. government say they want a biosafety protocol to increase global confidence in the technology. But they have resisted demands for strict rules, arguing that provisions such as liability requirements would offer a license to erect trade barriers. Developing nations, often aligned with Europe, have been trying to draw a pact that requires labeling of shipments and covers as many products as possible. They want the United States to assume more responsibility for shipments, something U.S. negotiators have steadfastly resisted. The negotiators don't want to assume a role in private commerce. In a speech to the gathering on Monday, Colombian President Andres Pastrana observed that genetic engineering could offer solutions for food, human health and environmental destruction. But reflecting the view of many developing nations, he asserted that seeds should not lead to "control of monopolies of markets or political control of food production." The angry reaction from delegates to a draft compromise during an open session on Monday suggested that hopes for putting aside differences could be slim: Some called it an insult, a joke and even a snake. Copyright (c) 1999, St. Louis Post-Dispatch postnet.com

To: Dan Spillane who wrote (1313)	2/23/1999 1:57:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 2539

Hi-tech canola causes stir in Sask. CBC News WebPosted Tue Feb 23 04:27:23 1999 REGINA - A battle is brewing in Saskatchewan over farm seeds. At stake is patent-protected canola. Round Up Ready Canola was developed by the multi-national company Monsanto. After spending millions of dollars coming up with the product, Monsanto wants to make sure its special seeds are protected. And it's willing to go to court to make sure that happens. The seed has been changed genetically. Once a farmer plants it, instead of needing three or four herbicides, the only weed control the crop needs is Round Up -- a Monsanto product. If farmers want to use Round Up Ready Canola, they have to sign a contract with Monsanto. "You cannot re-plant this seed a second year. If you're not comfortable with the term and condition that we can come and inspect your fields and bins for up to three years afterwards -- if that disturbs you -- then please do not buy the technology," said Aaron Mitchell, in charge of biotechnology in Western Canada for Monsanto. So far, 16 farmers in Western Canada have been caught breaking the contract or patent rules. They re-planted or grew seed for which they didn't even pay. Most are in Saskatchewan. Noreen Johns, who farms north of Regina, signed the contract with Monsanto -- and follows the rules. But Johns worries how much control farmers are losing with this kind of technology and marketing. "So now we see the chemical companies not only marketing chemical to us, but controlling in the seed market," Johns told CBC News. One of the ways Monsanto is catching farmers who break the rules is through an anonymous tips telephone line. But people like Johns aren't picking up the phone to tattle on neighbours. She asks who's the real culprit: the farmer who breaks the rules, or the chemical company which sets them. The courts will decide. The first legal test for Monsanto's patent on canola is expected to begin this fall in Saskatchewan. cbcnews.cbc.ca

To: Dan Spillane who wrote (1313)	2/23/1999 2:02:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

BBC: US 'wrecking' GM talks Tuesday, February 23, 1999 Published at 12:25 GMT Soya beans for Downing Street: GMO protests are international By Environment Correspondent Alex Kirby With international talks in Colombia on a treaty to control the trade in genetically-modified organisms due to end within hours, the United States stands accused of trying to wreck it. The meeting, in the city of Cartagena, involves delegates from nearly 170 countries which have signed the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The USA has not ratified the convention, and so is in Cartagena only as an observer. But it has used that restricted status to orchestrate a refusal to allow the meeting to include commodities like soya beans and corn in the negotiations. The two crops make up 90% of the world trade in GMOs. Most trade uncontrolled Allowing them to be included would mean labelling them in international trade, and that could mean they were boycotted. Unless the majority of countries at the talks can force a last-minute climbdown by the US and its allies, the meeting will end by agreeing a partial treaty. It will govern trade in GM seeds, while leaving all other GM products virtually free of restrictions. It will mean there is no global agreement that a country has the right to refuse to allow the import of GMOs. And if individual states do refuse, they will be liable to challenge at the World Trade Organisation. Greenpeace accuses the Americans of threatening biodiversity in the name of profit. The group's political adviser, Louise Gale, said: "The US has attempted to terminate the Biosafety Protocol". "It seems that the US, driven by the commercial interests of companies such as Monsanto, is willing to threaten the world's biodiversity and forego any international safeguards on the trade in GMOs." Britain accused The US observers do have the support of five delegations, most of them from major grain exporting countries - Canada, Argentina, Australia, Chile and Uruguay. The British delegation is also accused of giving support to the Americans after it helped to draw up a set of proposals which favour their position. Dr Doug Parr, of Greenpeace UK, said: "If the US gets its way, millions more consumers would be denied a choice about what they eat, and a majority of the world's national governments would be powerless to enforce this basic individual right". He also criticised the UK Government's policy on GMOs. "Whilst they make promises to the UK public about labelling, no UK minister is present at international negotiations to ensure that it can actually happen". news.bbc.co.uk

To: Dan Spillane who wrote (1313)	2/23/1999 2:16:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 2539

Planting Soybeans from Bin Can Be Costly Monday February 22, 5:58 am Eastern Time Company Press Release SOURCE: Great Lakes Hybrids Inc. OVID, Mich., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- With market prices low, farmers are seeking ways to lower their input costs, but experts caution that attempting to save money by planting soybeans stored in their bins might not yield the best financial results. ''Seed costs account for no more than 15 percent of the grower's expense,'' according to Tex Young, agronomist for Great Lakes Hybrids, a national seed company based in Ovid, Mich. ''Cutting corners in seed costs is not a wise management practice for experienced producers.'' Randy Judd, manager of the Michigan Crop Improvements Association in East Lansing, Mich., said he has already examined farmers' bin-run seed, left-over from last year, and the quality is generally pretty poor. ''We had a stressful dry-down period last season during harvest,'' he said. ''You can't necessarily see the damage to the seed, but it's there.'' The Illinois Crop Improvement Association conducted a 19-year study and found an advantage of 2.73 bushels per acre for certified seed over non- certified soybean seed. Similar university studies have also found that bin- run seed costs the farmer 2 to 5 bushels per acre in yield. When soybean seed is over-wintered in a bin, fluctuations in temperature and humidity during storage can deteriorate the germ in the seed, leading to a number of emergence problems, Young said. Bin-run seed also tends to contain a high weed seed content as well as Sclerotinia from white mold disease. If not cleaned properly, this can add to higher than normal weed and disease pressure. ''Farmers who think they are cutting costs by using bin-run seeds find that it actually becomes very costly at harvest time,'' Young said. Mitch Ray, soybean product manager at Great Lakes Hybrids, said that approximately 21 percent of production acres will be planted with bin-run soybeans in the United States this year. That figure is down from 23 percent last year, largely due to the fact that under Monsanto's contract with farmers, it is illegal to plant bin-run Roundup Ready® soybeans. Ray said solutions for cash-strapped farmers include buying good-quality, certified seed, but planting less of it; employing no-till farming; and using fewer chemicals. ''I can understand trying to cut input costs, but seed is not the place to do it,'' he said. Great Lakes Hybrids is affiliated with KWS in Germany, a seed-only company, and has research stations in Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Puerto Rico. This strong, proven research program has been able to produce top performing conventional genetics for incorporation of the new transgenic traits. The company has also produced more National Corn Growers Association's Corn Yield Contest winners per entry in the 1990s than any other company in the Midwest. For the latest information or to find your local dealer, visit www.glh-seeds.com or call 1-800-257-SEED. SOURCE: Great Lakes Hybrids Inc. biz.yahoo.com