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

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (2020)	5/16/1999 12:03:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 2539

Business of buying U.S. corn banned in Europe As farmers head to the fields this spring, they will care for fields of corn and soybeans that are banned in the European Union (EU). For the third year in a row, the EU is banning all corn exports from the United States based on the use of genetically modified (GM) corn varieties planted by our farmers. This ban is costing U.S. farmers an estimated $200 million in lost corn exports. The U.S. Grains Council estimates that 311/2 million acres of corn, or 40% of U.S. corn acres, are GM varieties. U.S. companies selling the GM corn varieties have applied for EU approval of their seeds. But only four varieties have been approved, and seven varieties are still in the approval process, which is taking two to three years. The EU bans all U.S. corn, fearing our inability to segregate the different varieties in the export process, according to Alex Jackson, director of trade relations for the U.S. Grains Council. On the other hand, U.S. soybeans are still allowed for export into the EU. Two GM soybean varieties are approved for EU export, while 20 more varieties wait in the approval queue. Last year, 30% of our soybean exports headed to the EU. Unfortunately, the amount of soybeans being exported this year is running 15 to 25% below the export number of a year ago, reports Jim Hershey with the American Soybean Association. Hershey attributes this drop to the large Brazilian crop, not to concerns about GM crops. But the concern with GM soybeans is growing and could impact exports in the future. For example, Great Britain seeks soybeans that are free of genetic modifications. About half of the U.S. soybean crop this summer is planted with GM varieties, Hershey estimates. Zeneca, Monsanto agree on herbicide use Growers should be able to use another herbicide on their Roundup Ready soybeans this summer. Zeneca and Monsanto reached an agreement to allow growers to apply Zeneca's Touchdown herbicide on Roundup Ready soybeans. Before this occurs, however, EPA must register the product for this use. EPA's registration is expected in time for this summer's growing season. Once the registration is received, the special agreement between Zeneca and Monsanto will let growers use the herbicide on the soybeans without becoming involved in legal issues over patent rights for this application, provided they comply with any license or agreement they have with Monsanto or its seed licensees. The agreement also gives Zeneca the rights to test, register and sell Touchdown on Roundup Ready corn in the United States. As part of the agreement, Zeneca, Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred International agreed to dismiss the lawsuits they have pending against each other in Delaware and Missouri. These relate to the use of Touchdown over Roundup Ready crops and related Monsanto patents and to Monsanto's marketing practices. Farm Industry News Vol. 32, No. 8, May/June, 1999 homefarm.com

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (2020)	5/16/1999 12:08:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 2539

South Africa cautious over new wonder drug 16 May 1999 Deaths in the US linked to fast-selling 'super aspirin' prescribed to relieve arthritis. LAURICE TAITZ A POPULAR new arthritis drug is under investigation in South Africa after several patients died in the US. Helen Rees, the chairman of the South African Medicines and Medical Devices Regulatory Authority, is examining the safety of Celebrex (celecoxib), which was released in the US three months ago. Since then it has become one of the fastest-selling drugs in history - in just 13 weeks 2,5 million prescriptions have been dispensed. The "wonder drug" has received preliminary approval from the authority but will not be registered until the death reports have been investigated more thoroughly. Celebrex's huge success has been attributed to the dissatisfaction of many arthritis sufferers with the medication previously available. It is marketed as a drug that combats arthritic pain and inflammation without causing the stomach ulcers associated with aspirin and ibuprofen. But, according to an article published in the Wall Street Journal last month, the "super aspirin" has been linked to 10 deaths and 11 cases of gastrointestinal bleeding. three months ago. Reports on the deaths submitted to the Food and Drug Administration claimed that five people died from gastrointestinal bleeding, two from heart attacks, one from drug interaction and one from a kidney disorder. The cause of death in the tenth patient was not clear. Eight of the deceased had histories of heart, liver or intestinal problems. Robert de Lap, director of the administration's office of drug evaluation, said it was difficult to evaluate the significance of these reports because of the huge number of prescriptions. De Lap was quoted as saying: "We won't be able to reach conclusions about its relative safety compared with other painkillers until more research is done." Rees said the adverse drug reaction monitoring unit had already contacted the manufacturer for more information. "We will need to establish whether the five bleeding deaths in particular were cases of cause and effect or whether the people using the drug had previously used arthritis medication that caused gastrointestinal damage. It could be a case of people using their old medication with the new, but we have no way of knowing this. We are actively investigating these cases. "If a link to the drug is proved, a caution will be written into the package insert." Celebrex, which is being co-promoted by pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and GD Searle & Company, belongs to a new generation of drugs called Cox-2 inhibitors. Earlier painkillers used to treat arthritis - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - have been associated with thousands of cases of ulcers and stomach problems. In the US about 15 000 deaths and more than 100 000 hospital cases occur each year. Steve Geis, Searle's US vice-president for arthritis clinical research, noted that many patients taking the drug had other illnesses and were taking multiple medications, a factor which may add to the side effects. In clinical trials the most common side effects were indigestion, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. However, less than one percent of patients found these problems serious enough to stop treatment. Searle responded to the Wall Street Journal article by saying the company found no direct causality between the drug and the deaths. suntimes.co.za