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DuPont, Bunge
Introduce Soybean Oil that Eliminates Trans Fats in Food
October 07, 2004
—
Bunge Limited and DuPont yesterday announced a new
soybean oil that enables food service providers and food
processors to reduce or eliminate trans fatty acids in their
products.
The oil will be
marketed as NUTRIUM™ Low Lin Soybean Oil. It will be the
first product sold under the NUTRIUM™ brand, which was
created as part of an alliance between Bunge and DuPont.
NUTRIUM™ Low Lin
comes from Pioneer® variety 93M20, developed by DuPont
subsidiary
Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. The new soybean
variety features oil with a low linolenic acid profile of
less than 3 percent and offers better natural stability and
increased shelf life. When used for frying, low linolenic
oil eliminates the need for partial hydrogenation.
Bunge will manage
marketing and distribution of NUTRIUM™ Low Lin to food
service providers and food processors, who, in 2003, used
more than 5 billion pounds of frying oil. The industry has
been looking for alternative oils because the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration will require the inclusion of trans fats
on food nutrition labels in 2006.
Pioneer ® variety
93M20 is the first commercially available low linolenic
soybean product variety with yield and weed control options
that are competitive with the best soybean varieties on the
market. In addition to having the popular Roundup Ready
herbicide resistance trait, the variety comes to the market
with three years of performance data.
"We've been
developing soybeans with improved oil since 1991 and that's
why we can deliver this improvement in varieties with the
complete genetic package that farmers today demand," said
John Soper, DuPont soybean research director.
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Patent of the month -
Self-cleaning glass (IPR Help Desk Bulletin)
We've all had the bad experience, after conscientiously
cleaning the windows of our house, of seeing all our efforts
put to waste by the rain that perniciously starts to fall
just as we finish cleaning… But, we have some good news:
thanks to a new, revolutionary self-cleaning glass, you need
never fear the rain again! Quite the reverse, the rain will
keep your windows even cleaner!
Indeed, this new self-cleaning glass, protected by the
Pilkington Activ™ trade mark and several patents worldwide,
is cleaned by the effects of both the sun and the rain. How
is this possible? The idea is as follows: a thin coat of
titanium oxide is applied to the external surface of the
pane. Firstly, this absorbs sunlight, and through a
photocatalytic process causes any organic dirt deposits that
gather on the pane to disintegrate. Secondly, it makes the
surface of the glass hydrophilic, which means that when rain
lands on the glass it spreads over its surface instead of
forming individual droplets, and then washes any dirt off as
it runs away. It is thus the combination of the sun and the
rain that gets your windows clean, thanks to the chemical
reactions in the special coating.
Obviously, the main advantage of this revolutionary glass is
that it requires less cleaning than the traditional variety,
while ensuring that windows remain attractive. But also, and
this is another interesting aspect of the invention,
Pilkington Activ™ reduces the need for environmentally
harmful cleaning detergents.
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As drugs go off patent protection — Pharma sector turning to
product lifecycle management
Our Bureau (BL)
Bangalore , Oct. 8
PRODUCT Lifecycle Management (PLM) is
fast gaining recognition among the global pharma companies
to bridge the gap between high costs and falling revenues as
drugs fall out of patent protection.
More than 90 per cent of senior
executives believe that PLM is important for their future
prosperity, with 60 per cent stating that its importance
will increase significantly in their organisations over the
next five years.
The increased focus stems from the
concern over the failure of research and development
activities to maintain a steady stream of new blockbuster
drugs.
This leaves pharmaceutical companies
with high costs and falling revenues as drugs fall out of
patent protection, said the fourth annual `Vision & Reality'
report from Capgemini, a global consulting company.
The data is compiled from an in-depth
survey of 74 senior pharmaceutical industry executives in 12
countries and interviews with selected industry experts.
"The importance of this issue should
not be underestimated,'' said Mr Paul Nannetti, Global Life
Sciences Leader, at Capgemini.
"The pharmaceutical industry's success
to date has been built on a consistent flow of high earning
innovative products.
"However, as the industry faces up to
the challenge of weaker R&D pipelines, and likely reduced
returns from new products, there is an imperative to drive
greater value from existing portfolios," he said.
Increasing competition from other
branded products and from generics and declining market
exclusivity for some drugs, in some cases as low as one
year, are other concerns driving the industry towards PLM.
The global generics market, estimated
at $27 billion in 2003, might seem to be a speck in the
total $400-billion pharmaceuticals market.
But due to its price differentials,
generics have a much bigger market share in prescription
terms than the value comparison suggests. The companies must
develop lifecycle strategies rather than the current
approach of basing the aspect from functional perspectives.
Also, executives expect in-licensing
and alliances to become the leading strategies with 45 per
cent stressing their increasing importance.
Such strategies seek to bolster
pipelines and also contribute to the creation of therapeutic
franchises and establishment of market leadership positions
in key areas.
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Global alliance mooted for genomic research of cotton
Our Bureau (BL)
Hyderabad , Oct. 11
TEN countries worked together and
invested Rs 800 crore for deciphering the structural
genomics of rice.
Much more money and effort is required
for deciphering the structural genomics of cotton and this
calls for an international collaboration among the
institutes engaged in cotton research, according to Dr
Mangala Rai, Director General of the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research ICAR).
Delivering the keynote address at the
inaugural session of the four-day International Cotton
Genome Initiative Workshop - 2004 here, the ICAR chief said
it would take several years of coordinated effort among the
research institutions to decipher cotton genomics. Hence,
research institutions should join hands and contribute to
the cotton genome initiative.
"We have to compete with each other and
at the same time make a coordinated effort for the
development of structural and functional genomics of
cotton," he said.
Despite its economic importance, Dr Rai
said genomic research of cotton lagged behind that of other
major crops. The genetic base of current cotton cultivars
was very narrow leading to a decline in cotton yield over a
period of time. This called for a long-term strategy for
cotton genome sequencing. There is also the need to identify
common research areas for international collaborative
research and funding mechanism to make significant gains in
cotton genomics.
Dr Rai, however, emphasised the need
for prioritising our research efforts keeping view the high
cost of genome sequencing projects. He said there were other
crops such as pigeon pea, chickpea, urdbean and mungbean
important for the food and nutritional security of India.
Tools of genomics needed to be used for improving these
crops also.
Even though sequencing of any of these
genomes would cost in the range of Rs 1,000 crore to Rs
2,000 crore, resources could be mobilised to make a
beginning in this direction.
Apart from the establishment of rice
genome sequencing facility, Dr Rai said that ICAR had taken
a major initiative in functional genomics for complex
agronomic traits in seven crops including rice, wheat,
maize, brassica, chickpea, banana and tomato.
The Andhra Pradesh Minister for
Agriculture, Mr N. Raghuveera Reddy, who was the chief guest
at the function, said that ICAR and other international
research institutions should work in coordination for
increasing the productivity of cotton and incomes of cotton
farmers.
The President of the Indian Society for
Cotton Improvement, Dr V.R. Gadwal, welcomed the gathering.
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Bill to amend
Patent Act in winter session'
Our Bureau (BL)
New Delhi , Oct. 20
THE Patents (Third) Amendment Bill to
meet the country's international commitment of adhering to
the deadline of January 1, 2005 for grant of product patents
through legislation while ensuring that mechanisms are put
in place to safeguard public access to medicines at
affordable prices would be introduced in the winter session
of Parliament.
The Union Commerce and Industry
Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, indicated this on Wednesday here
during his consultations with political parties on the
Patents (Third Amendment) Bill which would make full use of
the flexibilities available in the WTO Agreement on
Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
The political parties representatives
who interacted with Mr Kamal Nath today included the former
Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley of the BJP,
Mr Yerran Naidu of the Telugu Desam, Mr Sukhdev Singh
Dhindsa of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Mr M. Ajit Kumar
Singh of the Janata Dal (United) and Mr W. Wangyuh of the
Nagaland Peoples Front.
Mr Nath said that given the importance
of the issues, he was quite keen to have broad-based and
extensive consultations with political parties as well as
different interest groups on critical facets of the required
changes to the Indian Patents Act, 1970.
An official release here recalled that
in pursuance of the TRIPS Agreement negotiated during the
Uruguay Round, the Patents Act, 1970 was first amended in
March 1999 to introduce the transitional (Mailbox) facility
from January 1, 1995 to obtain and hold product patent
applications in the fields of pharmaceuticals and
agriculture chemicals till January 1, 2005.
The second amendment to the Act was
made in June 2002 to meet obligations under the TRIPS
Agreement pertaining to modifications in the provisions
concerning terms of patent protection, rights of the
patentee, compulsory licensing.
The third amendment required to meet
obligations under the TRIPS pact that are due from January
1, 2005 relate mainly to grant of product patent protection
in all fields of technology.
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Define patent terms clearly, says drug industry
Our Bureau (BL)
Mumbai , Oct. 24
AS the draft of the Patents (Third
Amendment) Bill comes up for review again this Monday, the
domestic drug industry has cautioned the Government on the
need to "clearly define" terms such as "patentability".
"If not defined clearly in the law, it
will not only lead to litigations but also result in `evergreening'
of patents depriving public of access to generics on the
expiry of the main patent," the Indian Pharmaceutical
Alliance (IPA) said in a representation to the Union Health
Minister, Mr Anbumani Ramdoss, recently.
The IPA has been knocking the doors of
the Union Health Ministry and the Union Commerce Ministry as
drugs worth an estimated Rs 3,000 crore are likely go out of
the grasp of the local market, according to IPA
representatives. "New drugs in the anti-inflammatory
segment, anti-asthma and antibiotics are just some of the
segments that stand to get adversely impacted," an IPA
representative said.
"India embarks a new regime of product
patent after a gap of 35 years. The infrastructure needed
for the new regime is created, but not yet tested. The
Patent Office has yet to demonstrate its maturity and skill
sets for dealing with the new regime. Its track record so
far has been dismal. It's two of the four decisions on
exclusive marketing rights (EMRs) for pharmaceutical
products (Glivec, an anti-cancer drug and Cialis, an
impotency drug) are embroiled in the High Courts of Delhi,
Chennai and Mumbai," the representation points out.
Further, the IPA official elaborates
that companies indulge in extending the life of their
patents ("ever-greening") by merely tweaking the drug
molecule. "So a solid form of medicine is made into a
crystalline form, for instance, to keep the monopoly of
sales for another few years and keep generic companies away
from making similar versions. Such monopolies can cause a
shortage of medicines," the official cautions.
Meanwhile, on retaining the provision
of pre-grant opposition, where anyone can oppose the patent
application of a company, the IPA official said: "It exists
in as many as 21 countries and they are as diverse from
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador in Latin America; Australia,
Indonesia, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand in the Far
East; Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, Norway,
Sweden, UK in Europe; Israel, Kuwait, South Africa in the
Middle East & Africa; and Mongolia and Pakistan in Asia."
A section of the pharma industry,
however points out that there are instances, like a case in
Israel where a patent was delayed for 19 years, even as a
drug's legitimate patent life is 20 years. "Pre-grant
opposition is a delaying tactic," he said.
The IPA representative, however,
counters: "The current provision not only allows opponent to
challenge the grant, but also defines time limit not to
delay the grant of patent." Further, it adds: "data
available with the Department of Industrial Policy &
Promotion (DIPP) shows that in the past only 0.5 per cent of
patent applications were challenged. And, even those that
were challenged were heard and disposed off within the
stipulated timeframe."
Interestingly, they point out: "The
patents for neem and haldi could have been pre-empted, if
only the US Patent Law had similar provision. The country
would not have had to engage in the costly post-grant
litigations for revoking these patents."
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Mittal merges group cos to form
$30bn behemoth 
OUR CORPORATE BUREAU (FE)
October 26, 2004.
NEW DELHI, OCT 25: In a reverse takeover, NRI Lakshmi
N Mittal-promoted Ispat International will acquire $13.3
billion worth of LNM Holdings shares and simultaneously
merge with Ohio-based International Steel Group (ISG). The
resultant entity would become the world’s largest steel
company, Mittal Steel, overtaking European steel major
Arcelor. The whole deal involves $17.8 billion.
A global giant spanning Europe, Africa,
Asia and the United States with operations in 14 countries,
Mittal Steel will have revenues of over $30 billion,
operating income of $7 billion and total steel shipments of
70 million tonne.
Mittals hold 77% equity in Ispat
International. Mr LN Mittal will be the chairman & CEO of
the new entity, Mittal Steel Co.
As per an agreement with ISG, the
latter’s shareholders will be able to choose between cash
and Mittal Steel shares, subject to pro-rata such that 50%
of the total consideration will be in cash and the balance
will be in Mittal Steel shares. Mittal Steel will pay $42
per share in cash and stock — or about $4.5 billion, to the
ISG shareholders.
The deal is expected to be completed by
the first quarter of 2005.
Post-merger the Mittal family will own
88% of the combined group. Public holding in Ispat will be
3% and public shareholders of ISG will own 9% equity in the
new entity.
Commenting on the development, Mr
Mittal said: “These transactions dramatically change the
landscape of the global steel industry. We are bringing
together Ispat International, LNM Holdings and ISG, one of
the largest integrated steel producers in North America,
creating a global powerhouse.”
“By joining with Mittal Steel,
respected in the global steel industry for both its
strategic vision and operational excellence, we have
provided our shareholders immediate value, as well as
participation in a new, financially strong, profitable
global enterprise with excellent growth prospects,” ISG
chairman Wilbur L Ross said.
The combined company will encompass all
aspects of modern steel making to produce a comprehensive
portfolio of both flat and long steel products and serve all
sectors such as automotive, appliances, machinery and
construction sectors.
The annual steel production capacity of
Ispat International is over 18 million tonne and it expects
a revenue of $8.3 billion in 2004. LNM Holdings, which
operates in eight countries in Europe, Africa and Asia has a
production capacity of over 32 million tonne and expects to
achieve a revenue of $14.5 billion.
Mr LN Mittal is the chairman of both
Ispant International and LNM Holdings. ISG, amongst the 10
top integrated steel producers, has an annual capacity of 20
million tonne and is targeting a revenue of $9 billion in
2004.
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Only technical
expert for competition panel: Govt
J. Venkatesan
New Delhi , Oct. 26
THE Centre today informed the Supreme
Court that only a technical expert and not a judge would be
the chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
The United Progressive Alliance
Government thereby endorsed the stand of the previous
National Democratic Alliance government that only persons
with technical background could head this expert panel.
In its affidavit filed before a
three-judge Bench comprising the Chief Justice, Mr R.C.
Lahoti, Mr Justice G.P. Mathur and Mr Justice P.K.
Balasubramanyan, the Centre made it clear that "the
chairperson of the CCI should be an expert and not a judge."
The Bench asked counsel for the Centre
to think over the proposals again and posted the matter for
final hearing on November 2.
During the course of hearing of a
petition filed by advocate Mr Brahm Dutt challenging the
constitutional validity of the CCI Act, the apex court,
while staying the appointment of a bureaucrat to head the
CCI in October last, had suggested to the then
Attorney-General to bring amendments to the Act. The
petitioner had questioned the provisions by which the
decisions of the CCI headed by a bureaucrat would be
enforced by the various high courts.
In its fresh proposals, the Centre,
while reiterating that the CCI needed to be a body of
experts, said that if at all a judge was included in the CCI,
it would be on the strength of his expertise in the field
and not because of his judicial background.
It, however, said there would be an
appellate tribunal to hear appeals against the orders of the
Commission and that this tribunal would be headed by a
sitting or retired Supreme Court judge or chief justice of a
high court. The other two members would be members with
expertise in competition and related matters.
The Centre said the CCI, apart from the
chairperson, should have a maximum of six members (total
seven members). On the selection process of the members, it
said a retired judge of the Supreme Court or high court, to
be nominated by the Chief Justice of India, should head the
Selection Committee.
The selections/appointments already
made to the CCI would be subject to review by the new
Selection Committee to be so constituted and the Selection
Committee could also consider fresh names, it said.
The chairperson and members of the
appellate tribunal would be selected by a separate Selection
Committee headed by the Chief Justice of India or his
nominee and comprising Secretary, Company Affairs and Law
Secretary.
The Centre also agreed to amend the
controversial provision relating to execution of the orders
of the CCI by the high courts and substituted the high
courts with civil courts. In another significant
modification, the Government said that CCI would be divested
of the power to detain a person in civil prison in the event
of contravention of provisions of the Act.
The Centre further said that the constitutionality of the
Act should be read as a whole along with the proposed
amendments and it would be erroneous to dwell upon any
particular provision in isolation. In the light of the
amendments proposed, the Act did not suffer from any
infirmity, the Centre said and sought dismissal of the
petition.
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