Bidding War For Roofing Products Maker Is Over ElkCorp said that it planned to accept a bid for the company from Building Materials Corporation of America and terminate a planned sale to the private equity firm Carlyle Group.... Read Full Article Stocks Fluctuate Amid Economic Reports Stocks fluctuated in a narrow range after Oracle reported strong earnings and Bear Stearns reported its first-ever quarterly loss.... Read Full Article Music Review: Sonatas From A Work In Progress Called Beethoven The ?Kreutzer? appears on the last of three recitals at the 92nd Street Y being offered by Christian Tetzlaff and Alexander Lonquich.... Read Full Article Big Risks That Come With City’s Big Rewards A QUESTION for Daniel Bouton, chief executive of Société Générale. What would have happened if the bets taken by “le rogue trader” Jérôme Kerviel had paid o... Read Full Article China: Loans Cut For Polluters The government suspended bank loans to 12 polluting companies as part of its new ?green-credit policy.?... Read Full Article |
Committee Investigates Ad Tactics For LipitorA Congressional committee investigating the Lipitor advertising campaign featuring Dr. Robert Jarvik wants information about payments to people who might have served as stunt doubles for the doctor in televised ads. Librado Romero/The New York TimesDr. Robert Jarvik, who appeared in the televised ads. Related Drug Ads Raise Questions for Heart Pioneer (February 7, 2008) Competition Doesnt Wait for New Device (February 7, 2008) Times Topics: Pfizer Inc.The demand for records was made in letters mailed Thursday to nine advertising firms thought to be involved in Dr. Jarvik’s advertising campaign for Lipitor, the cholesterol medication that is the world’s top-selling drug. The letters from Representatives John D. Dingell and Bart Stupak, both Michigan Democrats, said the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its subcommittee on oversight and investigations were investigating “false and misleading statements and the use of celebrity endorsements of prescription medications in direct-to-consumer advertising.” The committee released a copy of Dr. Jarvik’s contract with Lipitor’s maker, Pfizer, revealing that the company agreed to pay Dr. Jarvik, a pioneer in artificial hearts, a minimum of $1,350,000 over two years for serving as celebrity pitchman for Lipitor. The two-year deal began in March 2006 with a TV commercial in which Dr. Jarvik was depicted as sculling at Lake Crescent near Port Angeles, Wash. The New York Times reported on Thursday that Dr. Jarvik does not row and that a Seattle rowing enthusiast and professional photographer, Dennis Williams, had served as a stunt double in the ad, which was broadcast between March and July 2006. Mr. Williams has declined to comment, but his role as a stand-in for Dr. Jarvik was described in a newsletter published by the Lake Washington Rowing Club, where he is a member. The House committee is also believed to be interested in determining whether doubles for Dr. Jarvik were used in other ads. “We are taking a hard look at the deceptive tactics of drug companies in their direct-to-consumer advertising,” Mr. Stupak, the subcommittee chairman, said in a news release. The letters seeking records were sent to IMC2; the Maya Group; Cline, Davis & Mann; ARS Group; Guideline; Ipsos-ASI; Ipsos-Understanding; the Kaplan Thaler Group; and Unit 7. Tag CloudExternal InformationAdditional InformationReally?: The Claim: Drinking Tea Reduces Stress....Bush Will Pair Veto With New Cell Initiative... Sex Diseases in Many Gay Men Go Unfound, Experts Say... Doctor Grafted Skin to Aid Drug Dealers, U.S. Authorities Say... Where Am I?News Main Page - Business - Committee Investigates Ad Tactics For Lipitor |
i8news.com |