lipitor patent revoked:
Pfizer Inc said on October 29 a German court had revoked the drugmaker's patent covering the active ingredient in its blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor. The decision resulted from a patent challenge by generic manufacturers Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd and Basics GmbH, company sources said. The patent expires in July 2010. Pfizer said the decision had no immediate commercial impact, in part because neither patent challenger has approval to sell a generic version in Germany. Pfizer will appeal the decision, a process expected to take two to three years. Lipitor is sold in Germany under the brand name Sortis.
eat leftovers, save the world:
A meal of leftovers could be the latest way to help curb greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), an NGO, has launched a campaign to encourage people to eat up the leftover food piled in their refrigerators and pantries instead of throwing it. The UK government supports the campaign. The move follows a research that found that 6.7 million tonnes of unused food--from vegetable scraps to uneaten pizza slices--ends up in rubbish dumps across the UK each year. The food then rots, releasing harmful methane in the process, says the report.
on the edge:
Twenty-five primate species are on the "edge of oblivion", said a document compiled by 60 primatologists from the World Conservation Union, the International Primatological Society and the Conservation International. The list includes 11 species from Asia, seven from Africa, four from Madagascar and three from South America. Sri Lanka's slender loris, Miss Waldron's red colobus monkey, Vietnam's golden-headed langur and the Hainan gibbon in China are on the list. The study said 114 other primates are "close to extinction".
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.