Mylan CEO faces tough questioning in congressional EpiPen hearing
Mylan Chief Executive, Heather Bresch, has faced tough questioning from Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress, probing price increases for Mylan’s EpiPen allergy treatment. Ms Bresch told a House committee that the company profited far less than the $609 list price for a pack of two might suggest, and that Mylan was trying to address public concerns by preparing to sell a half-priced generic version. Several members from both parties accused Mylan of profiting excessively from a relatively inexpensive drug on which patients’ lives depend. “I am a very conservative and pro-business Republican, but I am sickened by what I’ve heard,” Rep. John Duncan (R., Tenn.) said. After acquiring the injectors in late 2007, Mylan has raised the price 17 times by a total of 548%. Ms Bresch said the company didn’t anticipate such an outcry. (Wall Street Journal)
Pesticide manufacturers’ own tests reveal serious harm to honeybees
Unpublished field trials by pesticide manufacturers show their products cause serious harm to honeybees at high levels, leading to calls from senior scientists for the companies to end the secrecy which cloaks much of their research. Research conducted by Syngenta and Bayer on their neonicotinoid insecticides were submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency and obtained by Greenpeace after a freedom of information request. The newly revealed studies show Syngenta’s thiamethoxam and Bayer’s clothianidin seriously harmed colonies at high doses. Scientists also noted that the companies have been previously critical of the research methods they themselves used in the new studies. (Guardian)
Consumers
Urban Chinese willing to pay extra for green electricity
Over 90 per cent of China’s urban consumers are willing to pay higher bills to buy “green electricity” from renewable sources, a recent survey commissioned by the China Renewable Energy Industries Association has found. The survey, by market research firm Ipsos, found that 97.6 per cent of respondents favoured using green electricity to tackle air pollution, and that 44 per cent were willing to accept a 10 yuan increase in their bills for a greater share of green energy. But energy sector experts warn that consumer power in China’s utilities sector is too weak to produce a decisive shift in China’s energy mix. (Eco-business)
Community Investment
Companies launch initiatives to boost natural disaster response
National Preparedness Month in the United States has encouraged a number of companies to launch new initiatives and campaigns focused on disaster relief. Disney has launched The Pillowcase Project in partnership with the Red Cross, which teaches students how to create their own emergency supply kits, reaching 500,000 3rd-5th graders in schools nationwide. Walmart has granted $1.5 million to the Red Cross as part of its $25 million disaster commitment. The funds will be used to develop a data tracking tool to help relief organisations know where to focus efforts. And Ford is launching the new ‘Ford Disaster Relief Mobility Challenge’, which will award three grants of up to $70,000 each to purchase and modify a Ford Transit Van for disaster relief work. (Justmeans)
International Development
Huawei begins making phones in India to tap local market boom
Chinese technology company Huawei will begin assembling phones in India with manufacturing partner Flextronics International, establishing a beachhead in the world’s fastest-growing smartphone arena. Huawei joins rivals from Samsung and Apple in targeting one of the few markets still rapidly expanding as global demand stagnates. India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market, is on the cusp of a phone manufacturing boom spurred by the government’s “Make in India” drive. Huawei joins a growing list of foreign names, from Xiaomi to Lenovo, now getting their phones put together in the country. (Bloomberg)
Image source: Honey bees by Polly Dot / Public Domain
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