by CIO UK Staff

AstraZeneca under legal spotlight…EasyJet bag new finance pilot…Arriva plan acquisition of SNCF division

News
Jan 28, 2010
IT LeadershipIT StrategyManufacturing Industry

It’s been a bad week for drugs manufacturer AstraZeneca, which was the theme of a BBC Radio 4 investigative programme, and things could be about to get worse. AstraZeneca could face new legal action in the coming months over its anti-psychotic drug Seroquel. The BBC investigation detailed how US lawyers are mounting a case against the CIO 100 ranked company, claiming that Seroquel causes major weight gain and leads to diabetes amongst its users. Seroquel is AstraZeneca second best selling drug, apparently earning the company £2.7 billion a year. The US lawyers claim that AstraZeneca marketed the drug without warning users of the side effects.

Listen to the Radio 4 programme here AstraZeneca in the CIO 100

The chief investment officer (CIO) of record company EMI Chris Kennedy has left the company to become the finance director of budget airline EasyJet. It has been another poor weak for the record industry with the BPI slamming the lawyers chasing illegal downloaders.

Easyjet get new finance pilot Easyjet IT coverage UK transport group Arriva is believed to be in talks with French national rail operator SNCF which will see the Keolis part of SNCF merge with Arriva. The Daily Telegraph believes such a deal would create a company “with more than £5.1bn in sales”. Keolis is one of the main French coach operators. Arriva in the CIO 100 Daily Telegraph reports on SNCF talks