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Drugland: London

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A Chinese court is hearing an appeal by Pfizer against the withdrawal of the Chinese patent for Viagra. The quashed the patent saying it didn’t show conclusively that it worked. Pfizer says the authorities simply didn’t understand the research.

If the decision goes against Pfizer, it’s thought it could curb foreign in the country from companies frightened of losing patent protection for their .

Ringing around

Hutchison Whampoa, the Hong Kong based trading conglomerate controlled by tycoon Li Ka-shing, has had a tough few months as it has poured more and more resources into developing 3G mobile phone services in a range of countries.

On Thursday it reported a 38% rise in overall 2004 profit, double-digit growth in its ports and retailing operations, but losses at its 3G telecoms arm.

The company is hoping to list its mobile network in Italy this year and may list its UK 3G unit in 2006. Even so the shares are up a mere one- fifth of a percent on the past two weeks.

In Japan, meanwhile, the mobile business of NTT DoCoMo has fallen out of favour with investors over the past two weeks, with shares down 5.4%.

Even though it is the biggest mobile company in the country, it trails rival KDDI in sales of 3G units.

Ups and downs

The Japanese electronics company Canon has somewhat unnerved investors by that it is moving into biotechnology.

It claims to be developing systems for the mass production of DNA chips using the bubble jet technology it uses in its printers, which it thinks will help diagnose cancer and infectious diseases.

Canon’s shares are up a modest 1.4% on the fortnight, as the company changed its charter to incorporate the “production and sales of products”. The company says it has not yet decided on any specific plan on when and how to commercialise biotechnology products.

In the US the telecoms giant Verizon upped its offer for MCI to $7.6bn on Tuesday and had it accepted.

The market is not totally convinced the Verizon deal is a good one and even though its shares are up 2.8% on the fortnight, at $35.50, they are a good $5 below where they were at the start of the year.

The gene plays a major role in determining how the systems operate, Nature Medicine reports.

But University of Rochester researchers found that expression of the gene is low in the brain cells of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Experts in the field said the research offered a promising line of study.

The concept is akin to use of ‘mental Viagra’ to increase blood flow to the brain Professor Raj Kalaria, Alzheimer’s Research Trust

The scientists studied endothelial cells from the lining of blood vessels in the brain, taken from autopsy samples from people with Alzheimer’s.

They found that expression of MEOX2, or mesenchyme homeobox 2, also known as GAX, was low in the cells of those with Alzheimer’s.

When there are low levels of MEOX2 expression, the affected cells cannot form any form of blood supply system, and so die.

It also increased the level of a protein that removes amyloid beta peptide, the toxin that builds up in brain tissue in Alzheimer’s disease.

Restoration of the gene expression level in the human brain cells was found to stimulate the formation of new blood vessels.

In further studies, one copy of the gene was deleted in mice, creating damage similar to that seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.

Restoration

Berislav Zlokovic, who led the study, said: “This gene could be a target. If we can stop this cycle, we could slow or stop the of the neuronal component of this disease.

“If we can restore the gene, we might be able to slow or stop the disease wherever it started.”

Professor Raj Kalaria, of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: “This study reports a highly interesting advancement in research into Alzheimer’s disease.

“This research emphasises the importance of improving the brain microcirculation in old age and possibly encouraging clearance of toxic compounds from the brain.

“The concept is akin to use of ‘mental Viagra’ to increase blood flow to the brain.”

He added: “The discovery suggests that Alzheimer’s patients are unable to form new blood vessels to possibly increase and meet the changing needs of the microcirculation in the brain.

“The report also suggests that the gene may have an effect which causes a protein called amyloid to accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

“If this is the case, this research could lead to ways to stop this protein clogging up the brain of Alzheimer’s patients.”

But he said the research had to be repeated to ensure it was not just a chance finding.

Susan Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This study seems to have identified a new target for intervention through a line of not reported before.”

David Lant was serving a life sentence at Bay open prison near , Suffolk, in 2004 when the attack was alleged to have taken place.

The 61-year-old, from Norwich, was jailed for life after he and another man took a patient hostage at Hospital in Berkshire in 1977.

A jury cleared him of attempted rape and five counts of sexual assault.

Money for sex

During the trial at Ipswich Crown Court, the jury was told that Lant, who denied the charges, was jailed for life for murder in 1977.

In 2004, he was allowed out on licence from Hollesley Bay as part of a pre-release scheme.

He returned to the prison each night after working at a Salvation Army hostel in Ipswich.

The girl, who cannot be named and is now 18, told the court via a video link that she had agreed to meet Lant in October 2004 because he said he wanted to give her 50 that he owed her boyfriend.

After meeting him at a petrol station, she said Lant had persuaded her to go with him to his wife’s caravan near Bury St Edmunds because, he said, he wanted to check the electricity was turned off.

The teenager alleged that Lant offered her 200 to have sex with him.

Prescribed Viagra

When she refused, she claimed that he picked up a carving knife and threw it across the caravan.

Charles Myatt, prosecuting, told the court that Lant later drove the girl to Hollesley Common, near his prison, where sexual assaults took place in the back of his car.

The court heard he eventually dropped the girl off in Ipswich, more than five hours later.

Lant told the jury the girl had agreed to take part in sexual activity.

During the trial, jurors were told that Lant had been prescribed Viagra in 2003 after a prostate operation made him impotent. But the drug was not successful in curing his impotence, the court heard.

Lant denied attempted rape and five counts of sexual assault.

The end of sales exclusivity on certain drugs hit Pfizer’s performance, with profits falling to $2.4bn (1.29bn) from $3.4bn last year.

But Pfizer said its results were “quite encouraging”, citing strong sales of anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor.

Pfizer is selling its consumer health arm to Johnson & Johnson to focus on research and production of new drugs.

‘Meeting

The US firm - also the of anti-impotence drug Viagra - said it would use some of the proceeds of the $16.6bn deal to boost its product pipeline through “targeted “.

Expiring patents are expected to reduce Pfizer’s revenues from drug sales by about a third between 2004 and 2008.

Many companies could not survive such a profound loss of revenue Hank McKinnell, Pfizer chief executive Check Pfizer shares

The firm has also had to contend with the loss of painkiller Bextra, which it voluntarily withdrew from sale in 2005 amid health concerns.

But Pfizer said its business was strong enough to withstand these developments, as well as the increasingly fierce competition from generic producers of rival medicines.

“Many companies could not survive such a profound loss of revenue,” said Hank McKinnell, Pfizer’s chairman and chief executive.

“Our latest results show that we are consistently and successfully meeting the challenges we face - in particular, offsetting loss of exclusivity for several of our products with solid growth from in-line and new products.”

Pfizer hailed a strong performance from cholesterol reduction drug Lipitor, whose global sales rose 9% to $3.1bn on the back of increased demand from Asia in particular.

Eight other leading drugs enjoyed double-digit growth in sales.

But Pfizer’s overall sales rose a more modest 2.5% to $11.7bn.

Pfizer’s shares rose nearly 2% in early trading as analysts said the performance was better than expected.