TOP 100 SCIENCE SITES
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| Courts rely on 'unreliable' CCTV images Courts in Australia and elsewhere are relying on unreliable evidence based on images collected from CCTV, experts say. abc.net.au |
Chi-Med's eastern promise | Nils Pratley Hutchison's pharmaceutical company's move to exploit active ingredients in traditional medicines may make it a good stock market betHere's a contender for best stock market punt of 2009. Hutchison China Meditech, or Chi-Med, stood at 40p in January but today trades at almost 200p. This is Li Ka-shing's attempt to build a Chinese healthcare company and, given the great investor's past successes, it may pay to understand what's going on, especially as the shares are still below their 2006 flotation price.In one sense, Chi-Med has simply kept to its script. Its consumer healthcare business in China has continued to increase sales at a rate of 20%-plus a year. It has also signed a deal with US organics group Hain Celestial to distribute products such as milk powder. But the other half of Chi-Med – developing original drugs for a global market – is where the excitement lies.This is where investors were sceptical, given that traditional Chinese medicine has produced few drugs in the west. It is clear, however, that the pharmaceutical establishment harbours fewer doubts. The top scientists at MediPharma, Chi-Med's subsidiary in Shanghai, were recruited from firms such as Pfizer, Roche and Amgen. Partnerships with the likes of Lilly and Merck have helped to bring MediPharma to the cash-generative stage. Most promisingly, there should soon be a compound in phase three trials to treat ulcerative colitis – a potentially huge market. And today Chi-Med has signed a three-year deal with the University of Cambridge to study the effects of various Chinese medicinal plants.The tale in the next year or two could be a spin-off of MediPharma. If so, we should discover whether the analysts are right in thinking that Chi-Med, at £100m or so, is still grossly undervalued. The answer may well be "yes".Pharmaceuticals industryMedical researchUniversity of CambridgeChinaNils Pratleyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Inventor unveils hummingbird robot Japanese researchers say they have developed a "hummingbird robot" that can flutter around freely in mid-air with rapid wing movements. abc.net.au |
Astronauts finally get Internet access in space CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- In a high tech first - really, really high - astronauts in space finally have Internet access.... hosted.ap.org |
Dolphins escape eviction notice Plans to drive three dolphins out of the Cudgen Creek at Kingscliff are being put on hold. abc.net.au |