Monday, July 12, 2010

Fake prescription drugs surpass heroin earnings


Roller-coaster ride: Intel's share price this year (Bloom...

Number of the day

$450,000

That's how much pharmaceutical counterfeiters can make from $1,000 in seed money, according to Aline Plancon, an Interpol officer who investigates the fake-prescription-drug trade. Compare that with heroin, where $1,000 will only earn a return of $20,000, she estimates. One seller of fake Viagra - among the most frequently copied medicines - allegedly made enough to buy a beachside villa in Spain, a diamond-studded Rolex and a flat in London.

Hear here

"We feel like we've got the wind at our back. We're getting a good hearing on

the issues that matter to us."

Barry Meyer, chairman of Warner Bros., on how the Obama administration is helping fight movie piracy. The Department of Homeland Security used a soundstage at Walt Disney Studios last month to announce the seizure of nine websites that allegedly trafficked in illegal movie downloads. Hollywood executives say Obama is more focused on the issue than George W. Bush was.

Heads up

Intel will report second-quarter financial results Tuesday, kicking off the earnings season for technology companies. The Santa Clara chipmaker blew away expectations in the first quarter, thanks to resurgent demand for personal computers. The shares have dropped since then, dragged down by concerns that Intel will struggle to maintain that kind of growth.

This article appeared on page D - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

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