Amazon picks a new fight; China increases pressure on foreign companies; Debate over experimental Ebola drugs
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said it will begin human clinical trials of a possible Ebola vaccine "later this year," pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The company is working with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which said human trials could begin as early as this fall. There is no known cure or vaccine for Ebola. As of last week, the World Health Organization said the current outbreak has infected more than 1,700 people and killed more than 900 in West Africa.
GlaxoSmithKline joins Tekmira Pharmaceuticals (TKMR) in preparing to test drugs that could help Ebola. Meanwhile, two American missionaries, who contracted Ebola in Africa while helping others with virus, are being treated in Atlanta with a drug by Mapp Biopharmaceutical. The World Health Organization is convening a panel of ethicists today to discuss how a limited supply of experimental drugs should be distributed to people infected with Ebola.
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Amazon (AMZN) is in another public dispute, this time with Disney (DIS). Customers going to Amazon are unable to pre-order some films from Disney including "Captain America: Winter Soldier" and "Maleficent." Amazon stopped offering pre-orders for some Warner Bros. films earlier this summer. The online retailer has also been in a four-month fight with book publisher Hachette over e-book pricing.
China has been cracking down on enforcement of anti-trust rules in its dealings with foreign firms. Over 100 Chinese officials entered four of Microsoft’s (MSFT) offices in the country, interviewing employees and taking information from company servers. Chinese officials have also recently visited the Shanghai offices of German carmaker Daimler and said the company is under investigation for “monopolistic behavior.” U.S. chip maker Qualcomm (QCOM) has also been under investigation in China this year.
