Products And Services | money news blog

21 11 2008

Pfizer cancels obesity drug, the latest to do so

Posted by: in Products and Services

Filed under: Products and services, Pfizer (PFE), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), Merck and Co (MRK)

The stock price of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) has been declining this morning. Pfizer canceled the development of an obesity drug for which many had high hopes, especially in light of the looming 2011 Lipitor blockbuster cholesterol drug patent expiration. Pfizer may find it hard to post growth without it.

Pfizer isn’t the only pharma that has recently canceled the same class of obesity drugs. Only Wednesday, Sanofy Aventis (NYSE: SNY), after stopping sales in Europe of its version of the drug, Acomplia, also stopped clinical trials on humans. Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) stopped development of a similar drug candidate called Taranabant a few weeks ago. Those companies all had high hopes the drug could be used for smoking, diabetes and high cholesterol along with obesity. According to Bloomberg, only Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) is still developing a similar medicine.

Why are they all stopping? Mostly because they figured regulators around the world will not approve the drug due to negative psychiatric side-effects. This class of drug works on blocking the pleasure centers in the brain, specifically, it blocks the cannabinoid type 1, or CB1, receptors. If cannabinoid sounds familiar, it is because this is the very same pleasure centers that give marijuana smokers the “munchies.” By blocking these centers, studies have shown people have become depressed and had suicidal thoughts.

Perhaps not having chemical and pharmaceutical degrees I’m missing something, but it seems rather straight forward that if one’s pleasure centers are blocked, depression could ensue. Even if it just blocks one specific type, that could be enough to create an imbalance.

Usually regulators weigh costs, risks and benefits of the drug and the condition treated, often approving drugs with severe side effects. These drugs are our ideal option currently. But drug companies should change their attitude somewhat, and when developing new drugs, place more emphasis on looking at the the body as one whole entity, and see how the drug interacts with the rest of the body, not just if it can treat the specific condition.

Pfizer cancels obesity drug, the latest to do so originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

21 11 2008

Asia up sharply after Obama wins election

Posted by: in Products and Services

Filed under: International markets, Products and services, Politics

Markets in Asia appear to have a positive reaction to Obama’s victory in the US presidential race.

The Nikkei rose 4.5% to 9521. The Hang Seng rose 3.7% to 14,913. The Shanghai Composite was up 3.2% to 1,761.

Data from Reuters.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 24/7 Wall St.

Asia up sharply after Obama wins election originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

20 11 2008

Sprint Nextel will keep the Nextel iDEN network, despite losses

Posted by: in Products and Services

Filed under: Products and services, Sprint Nextel Corp (S)

Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) won’t be selling its older Nextel iDEN nationwide wireless network after all. The company could not find a buyer for the network and supporting infrastructure, which it built with Motorola in the 1990s. So it will continue partnering with Motorola as it serves the existing (but shrinking) customer base that apparently can’t live without direct access to the Nextel “push to talk” feature that was the main competitive differentiator of Nextel’s entire service before Sprint purchased the company.

With Sprint already having written off $30 billion of the $35 billion acquisition cost, it makes sense to just keep that network. Even though the Nextel customer base has shrunk considerably, at some point it will most likely stop losing customers and will retain the core group that just love its service. In other words, it probably makes more financial sense for Sprint Nextel to keep that customer base revenue stream coming in than to sell the entire national network (that nobody wants to purchase anyway) for pennies on the dollar. OK, maybe a dime or two on the dollar.

Sprint will continue operating on the 800MHz frequency, which it shares with public safety services, until it can vacate that radio spectrum, something the FCC is allowing the company to do over time. Still, the Nextel brand still confuses quite a few people who are shopping Sprint for wireless service. Perhaps Sprint should market it solely as a business wireless network?

Sprint Nextel will keep the Nextel iDEN network, despite losses originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

20 11 2008

Dell’s new laptop designs; lipstick on a pig?

Posted by: in Products and Services

Filed under: Products and services, Dell (DELL)

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) has recently announced the release of some new laptop designs. The thing is, though, that these appear to be just painted/designed laptop covers on existing laptop Computers, and not new systems with some new art. In other words, is Dell just pushing out boring models with new paint jobs?

Ed Boyd, the newer design lab head who was hired in 2007 to try and transform the boring commodity boxes Dell has cranked out by the millions into something that is really a competitive advantage among a sea of PC designs. I doubt that’s what Dell execs were anticipating, but within just over a week, Dell will release these new designs with abstract paint jobs and funky colors — not just different laptop lid colors — to the market. Customers will pay an extra $75 for the newer designs. That’s in addition to the current $699 starting price for Dell’s entry-level consumer laptop systems.

So far, this is just another attempt to spice up the rather boring Personal computer by adding a literal splash of color. Next year, Boyd plans on all kinds of artsy combinations by letting customers design their own Computer art. That will be an effort to watch, as it will be a first from a mainstream Personal computer maker. It’s be hard to see customers flocking to Dell Computers from the competition just to be able and design their own color scheme, but consumers are fickle and unpredictable — so who knows.

Dell’s new laptop designs; lipstick on a pig? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

18 11 2008

Some consumers getting rid of all gadgets - and replacing them with iPhone

Posted by: in Products and Services

Filed under: Products and services, Apple Inc (AAPL)

One of the holy grails for consumer electronics manufacturers has always been to produce a single device that’s good at so many things that customers don’t need a whole collection of gadgets — just one. The perfect example of this has been Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone. It makes calls, allows web browsing and email, can play music, TV and movies, and do about a jillion other things.

It’s not the first device to try and be a jack-of-all-trades, but it’s arguable the first to be the simplest and coolest at everything it does. Customers are apparently noticing, as they are dumping other gadgets in favor of carrying and using just one - the iPhone. And we’re not talking middle-income families and consumers either, but those with incomes below the median.

This is music to Apple’s ears — its device is being used by all demographics for everything from telecommunications to video and music to web browsing (possibly being the first “portable” computer for many). ComScore said that iPhone ownership spiked 48% from June 1 to the end of August among households earning between $25,000 and $50,000 a year. Need Apple state more? Not really.

Some consumers getting rid of all gadgets - and replacing them with iPhone originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

17 11 2008

Microsoft announces Windows 7 as Vista brand is killed

Posted by: in Products and Services

Filed under: Products and services, Launches, Microsoft (MSFT)

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) has unveiled the next version of its Windows operating system. The marketing name “Vista” is gone and there apparently is no word to replace it. From all indications, the next version of Windows will be called “Windows 7.”

Perhaps Microsoft thinks that the lucky number 7 will save it from the tarnish Windows Vista has left behind on the image of Windows. Although the software giant touted Windows Vista as the most secure and user-friendly version of Windows yet, consumers did not embrace it. Through Microsoft’s dominance with PC makers, Windows Vista has still continued to be a big success, shipping on nearly all new Computers. Businesses, though, certainly didn’t welcome Windows Vista readily. Will Windows 7 be any different?

Using the version number (this Windows is actually version 7), instead of some name, might help Microsoft differentiate it from other operating systems, while reinforcing that there have been six versions of Windows before this new one (hence, it’s a tried-and-true product). No release date has been given for Windows 7. Here’s a prediction: Microsoft will see Windows 7 as a non-event (as far as initial release) unless it steps up its marketing game soon. If it addresses the perception issues of software crashes, video and audio handling and speed without the latest hardware, Windows 7 may have a chance.

Microsoft announces Windows 7 as Vista brand is killed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

17 11 2008

Google finally settles lawsuit brought over book scanning efforts

Posted by: in Products and Services

Filed under: Good news, Products and services, Google (GOOG)

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) can finally put a goofy litigious chapter behind it. It can now get back to the business of scanning books in its effort to make anything ever printed available digitally. Google’s book scanning project is intended for one thing, and one thing only: profit-generation while enabling readers to have access to any book from almost any web browser anywhere on earth.

Google will settle two copyright lawsuits for $125 million and then will continue to scan in books and make them available for purchase electronically. Book publishers and authors will, of course, receive advertising revenue and other revenue as a result of Google’s efforts. Google will, of course, get a cut of the action as well. I’m not sure of the scale here, but if Google reached just a small portion of readers across the globe and eeked out a buck or two from each one, there’s some massive revenue generation for you. Nice business if you can get it.

In addition, Google certainly hopes to convert authors still demanding the physical printing of authored works to the digital side, where even more revenue can be generated. The generation who reads newspapers, carry books with them and does calculations by hand is being replaced by the generation who has everything online from anywhere they go and run a completely digital life. The distribution method is the web for these folks, and the content must be there as well. There’s something nostalgic about taking a nice book with you to read in a quiet place (that is, if you can find a quiet place). But, for those multitasking Gen-Yers, information flows only digitally — and Google wants to make sure you find what you need through it.

Google finally settles lawsuit brought over book scanning efforts originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading MTV grabs The Beatles catalog for music-based game

17 11 2008

MTV grabs The Beatles catalog for music-based game

Posted by: in Products and Services

Filed under: Deals, Press releases, Products and services, Launches, Viacom (VIA), Activision Inc (ATVI)

Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA)’s MTV Games and The Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd. announced during a conference call this morning that a new interactive music game based on The Beatles catalog is in development for a late 2009 release. The untitled game will be based on the career of The Beatles and the platform for MTV’s Rock Band, but will not be a spin-off of the popular series as rumored previously. According to Billboard, “the game is designed to take users on an ‘experiential journey’ through the Beatles’ career, music and vision. It will also include new types of interactive gameplay associated with the Beatles’ imagery in addition to its music.”

MTV grabs The Beatles catalog for music-based game originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading McDonald’s makes plans for the McDouble

16 11 2008

McDonald’s makes plans for the McDouble

Posted by: in Products and Services

Filed under: Analyst reports, Products and services, Marketing and advertising, McDonald’s (MCD)

McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) is planning to replace its Double CheeseBurger with a new sandwich called the McDouble.

The new cheeseburger will be a little less cheesy, with two beef patties but only one slice of cheese. Analysts estimate that the McStingy will cost about six cents less to make — combined with the company’s plan to raise the price to about the dollar mark, it could spell increased profitability for the chain.

“We want our customers to know they can depend on McDonald’s to provide the everyday value and convenience they’ve come to expect, each time they visit our restaurants,” stated Greg Watson, vice president of marketing at McDonald’s USA. “These suggested changes will ensure we continue to satisfy our customers’ tastes and wallets.”

McDonald’s makes plans for the McDouble originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.