Scientist questioned in Vioxx trial
Angleton, Texas Merck & Co.’s former top scientist in charge of Vioxx studies bristled Friday when pressed about whether the pharmaceutical giant’s eye was on its bottom line in rushing the once-lucrative drug to market.
Dr. Alan Nies, testifying as Merck began its defense in the nation’s first Vioxx-related civil trial, insisted the New Jersey company wasn’t in a race to sell its product with rival pharmaceutical maker Pfizer. He was cross-examined about his 1996 Vioxx product-development plan, which said Merck was concerned about a “significant negative impact” on financial projections if Pfizer’s painkiller, Celebrex, made it into medicine cabinets first.
Plaintiff’s lawyer Mark Lanier showed jurors where the document said Merck could lose up to $611 million in potential revenue if Vioxx lagged behind Pfizer’s goal of selling Celebrex by late 1998, allowing the competitor to snag critical market share.
“You wanted to get the drug out for the money?” Lanier demanded, his voice raised.
“Not me!” Nies responded. He told Lanier he knew nothing about “financial modeling” at Merck but said his product-development plan had a marketing aspect.
“Six hundred and eleven million dollars is the value of being first rather than second?” Lanier demanded a few minutes later.
“You don’t have to yell at me; I can hear you,” Nies responded.
“I don’t mean to yell at you, I just wanted to make sure Mrs. Ernst can hear you,” Lanier said, gesturing toward plaintiff Carol Ernst, who is suing Merck over the 2001 death of her husband.
Merck pulled Vioxx from the market last year when a study showed it could double the risk of heart attacks or strokes if taken for 18 months or longer. Robert Ernst died in his sleep after taking Vioxx for eight months to ease pain in his hands.
Boeing bumps up list prices for jets
Seattle
The Boeing Co. has bumped up list prices for its commercial jets by an average of about 3.5 percent.
Not that airlines will pay the 2005 catalogue prices. Boeing and archrival Airbus SAS typically award steep discounts, depending on the customer, plane type and the size of the order.
Boeing said its 2005 airplane price list “reflects an increase by airplane submodel, which is consistent with the general inflation rate for manufactured goods.”
Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, which is set to enter service in 2008, has a 2005 listed price range of $125 million to $135 million – up about 8 percent from its previous average list price of $120 million.
The planned Airbus A350-800, which is bigger than the 787 and designed to compete with it, has an average list price of $162 million.
Minimum and maximum list prices for various models depend on several factors, including cabin configuration and engine type.
Amazon considers music, video downloads
Los Angeles Amazon.com is exploring a possible entry into the music and video download business, music industry executives said Friday.
The Seattle-based company, which pioneered the sale of books, CDs and other products over the Internet, has been in talks with major record labels about licensing and pricing issues for the service, said executives at three labels involved in the discussions.
Amazon’s discussions with the music labels were preliminary, and more concrete steps, if taken, are likely still weeks away, said the executives, who spoke on condition of anonymity because nothing has been officially announced.
The service Amazon is considering would sell individual tracks as well as offer songs on a monthly subscription basis, one of the executives said.