Firm's heart defibrillator test suffers a setback

A diagnostic test intended to identify patients who should receive heart defibrillators did not produce conclusive data, according to initial results from a clinical trial presented yesterday at the meeting of the American Heart Association. The trial is among the most rigorous yet for a test made by Cambridge Heart, a Bedford start-up. The test monitors variations in a portion of the heartbeat called the T-wave while a patient exercises. Cambridge Heart has argued that the test can help doctors predict which patients are more likely to suffer from potentially fatal rhythm problems. Preliminary results of the clinical trial indicated Cambridge Heart's test had little predictive value. (New York Times News Service)

Sepracor Inc. and the University of Massachusetts sued India's Lupin Ltd. to block it from selling a generic version of the allergy pill Clarinex in the United States. Lupin, the biggest Indian maker of tuberculosis medicines, is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval to sell the generic. Mumbai-based Lupin said two patents co-owned by Sepracor and the university are either not infringed or invalid. Lupin's proposed generic is "a wholly unjustified infringement" of the patents, which expire in 2014, Sepracor and the university said in a complaint filed Nov. 1 in federal court in Trenton, N.J. Clarinex first received regulatory approval in 2001. (Bloomberg)

A new menu for first-class passengers on Amtrak's high-speed Boston to Washington service was developed with help from one of Washington's best-known chefs, Michel Richard. Richard, owner of Washington's Michel Richard Citronelle and Central Michel Richard, was part of an eight-member team that came up with the new choices for the Acela Express, Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell said. Among the recipes Richard contributed was braised short ribs with cheesy grits, Connell said. Other options in the new fall-winter menu include seared salmon, chicken Pa Nang, and polenta cakes with mushroom ragout.

Microsoft Corp. said it fired chief information officer Stuart Scott for violating unspecified company policies. The company terminated Scott after "an investigation for violation of company policies," said spokesman Lou Gellos, who declined to give details. Scott joined Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft in 2005. The company typically doesn't disclose executive terminations, Gellos said. This is only the third time since 2005 that Microsoft has confirmed the firing of a manager at the level of vice president or above. Microsoft shares fell 32 cents to $36.41 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. They have risen 22 percent this year. (Bloomberg)

News Corp intends to nominate Natalie Bancroft, a member of the family that is selling Dow Jones & Co. Inc. for $5.6 billion, to its board, two sources familiar with the matter said. A News Corp. spokesman and a spokesman for the Bancroft family declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal revealed the news by publishing a series of e-mail exchanges written by Bancroft family members since mid-July, when it was debating whether to accept News Corp's offer. (Reuters)

The former chief executive of Freddie Mac, Leland Brendsel, will forego or return over $15 million in compensation in a settlement disclosed by the mortgage finance company's regulator. The settlement marks the last dispute that the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight had with former executives of Freddie Mac related to a multibillion dollar accounting fraud at the company from 1998 through 2002. The oversight office had first filed charges in 2003. (Reuters)

General Motors Corp. said it will record a $39 billion net noncash charge for the third quarter because of negative changes in its historical three-year cumulative loss. The charge will affect reported net earnings, which are to be disclosed today, the company said. The charge is related to establishing a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets in the United States, Canada, and Germany, the company said. (AP)

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