Biotech Generics, Annotated Bibliography Example

Biotech Generics

Whalen, Jeanne. “Roche CEO Girds for First Biotech Generics.” Wall Street Journal (31 October 2010). In this article, Jeanne Walen reports that Swiss biotech giant Roche and U.S. Trade Group Biotech Industry Organization are lobbying to “protect”  biological drugs from generic competition for over a decade. Rather than allowing competitors to produce cancer-fighting generic drugs, Roche’s Chief Executive are seeking a block. Competition had never been an issue for the company before, says Whalen, because bio-tech drugs are generally hard to copy, since they are made in living cells, rather than with just chemicals. Roche sold $50 billon worth of the drugs last year, but, says Whalen, once generics enter the market, companies generally see sharp declines in their sales. Right now, the company has little to worry about, says Whalen, because its patents do not expire until after 2014. Some expire as late as 2018. Still, according to Whalen, some well-known generics companies are already developing generic versions of Roche’s drugs (Whalen 1).

NewsCorp and IVI TV at Odds in Retransmission Fight

Eggerton, John. “Ivi TV Creeps Into Retrans Fight.” Broadcasting & Cable (1 November 2010): 24. In this article, John Eggerton details the entrance of “internet cable company” Ivi TV into recent retransmission fights. Ivi accused newscorp of extortion, because Fox has begun demanding  “blackouts” of homegames if stadiums are not 75% sold out. It has, therefore, begun retransmitting games that fans want to watch during the blackouts. Accoding to Eggerton, Newscorp had sued Ivi TV for copyright infringement, since the company has re-aired Fox Broadcasts without any sort of retransmission agreement. But the company asserts that it does not have to make deals with individual companies and that it is legal because it “compensates broadcast companies collectively” according to copyright law (Eggerton 1).

GM Price Range Rises

De La Merced, Michael J and Nick Bunkley. “G.M. Price Range Rises to $32 to $33.” The New York Times (15 November 2010). In this article, Michael J. De La Merced and Nick Bunkley reported that General Motors had announced that it was expecting $4 billion dollars in proceeds, rather than the original $3 million estimate. The company was also rising its initial public offering (IPO) to $33 dollars a share – up a dollar from the original $32 and substantially from previous estimates that were as low as $26.  De La Merced and Bunkley estimated that stock sales could actually total over $17 million dollars if GM’s underwriters used a “greenshoe” overalottment option, which could increase the size of GM’s options by  over fifty million shares. According to De La Merced and Bunkley, analysts believed that G.M.’s estimates were on the low side, because the company had had such a strong performance in the markets during the last quarters (De La Merced and Bunkley 1).

US Stock Plunge

Agence France-Presse. “US stocks dive amid Korea tensions.” Business Day (24 November 2010). This article reported that the Dow Jones Industrial Average had fallen 142.21 points. Agence France-Presse (AFP) indicated that part of the reason for this sharp drop was that tensions between North and South Korea made investors “uneasy” (Agence France-Presse 1)  and made them concerned about the well-being of the global economy. Another reason for the drop, according to AFP, was the Federal Reserve’s announcement that the economy of the United States would probably not grow as quickly as some had previously suggested. AFP also reported in this article, that the NASDAQ had fallen by 37.07 points. This article also placed the story of the American stock market drops in a global context, saying that the American markets were following in the footsteps of the European and Asian markets which had faced similar problems. Particularly affected, according to AFP, were the industrial and energy sectors.

Dollar Begins to Gain Strength

Curren, Don. “Dollar Recaptures its Role As Safe Haven.” Wall Street Journal (28 November 2010). In this article, Don Curren of the reputable Wall Street Journal noted that the dollar was gaining value. Indeed he said it was “recapturing its role as the primary safe-haven currency” and faring better than the Chinese Yen and Swiss Franc. He placed the story in its international context, noting that the dollar’s rise came at a time when tensions between North and South Korea were high.  Europe, according to Curren, was not faring as well either, with the euro “slipping” down to $1.32 amid fears that some European nations might follow Ireland’s example and need bailout money from the EU. Curren also noted that the value of the Great British Pound had fallen, albeit slightly. The dollar, meanwhile, had hit a two-month high and, according to Curren, many had been looking at the dollar as “a safe harbor for investments.” (Curren 1)

Shell Selling $1B worth of South Texas Gas Fields

Booton, Jennifer. “Shell Seeking $1B Sale of South Texas Gas Fields.” Fox Business (29 November 2010). In this article, Booton reports that Shell, the American subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell is looking for a buyer for its oil fields in South Texas.  According to Booton, Fox Business had been advised that shell had informed its employees to be ready for the sale of the fields and their assets.  Booton reports that a company spokesman told Fox News that the sale was part of Shell’s strategy to “enhance its world-wide upstream portfolio for profitable growth.” Booton also noted that Shell had previously sold nearly half a billion dollars’ worth of interest in the Gulf of Mexico region and that Shell had said then that it planned to divest itself of $7 to $8 billion dollars within two years. (Booton 1)