Like war,
any crisis is a golden opportunity for profit. The looming pandemic is no exception.
This thread will track new products, mergers, acquisitions and other business 'repositionings' and 'developments' designed to profit from the
pandemic.
Remember:
It's not a conspiracy, just good business.
Ignoring Cheney's Tamiflu bonanza for the moment, here are 2 new finds to launch the thread:
Quigley Corporation created a
compound, as in
cream, for treating herpes eye infections. But it didn't work. So it will be modified to
treat
respiratory infections. Right. We'll just suck it up.
Herpes Treatment Fails: To Be Repackaged as Bird Flu
Treatment
Quigley Corp. said Thursday its herpes treatment was not effective in treating infections of the eye in an animal model, but the drug maker's Quigley
Pharma unit will pursue other uses for the treatment.
Quigley said it will continue developing the compound to treat respiratory viruses. The compound has also been shown to have an effect against
influenza viruses, such as the H5N1 strain of the bird flu.
Chicken producer Pilgrim's Pride created the
Protein Acquisition Corporation as a vehicle for merging with chicken and pork processor
Gold Kist Farms. Now, "Pilgrim's Pride Corporation is the largest chicken producer in the
United States and Puerto Rico and the second-largest producer and seller of chicken in Mexico." Thanks to the
Protein Acquisition
Corporation.
The Great Chicken Merger and the Protein Acquisition Corporation
...Pilgrim's Pride and Gold Kist entered into a definitive merger agreement on December 3, 2006, under which Pilgrim's Pride agreed to acquire all
of the outstanding shares of Gold Kist common stock for $21.00 per share in cash. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors
of both Pilgrim's Pride and Gold Kist and has a total equity value of approximately $1.1 billion, plus the assumption or refinancing of approximately
$144 million of Gold Kist's debt. Upon expiration of the subsequent offering period, Pilgrim's Pride intends to complete the acquisition of Gold
Kist through a merger of its acquisition vehicle,
Protein Acquisition Corporation, into Gold Kist, in which all Gold Kist shares not tendered
into Pilgrim's Pride's offer (other than shares held in the treasury of Gold Kist or held by Pilgrim's Pride or any of its subsidiaries) will be
converted into the right to receive $21.00 per share. Following the merger, Gold Kist will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Pilgrim's Pride.
As a result of this transaction, Pilgrim's Pride Corporation is the largest chicken producer in the United States and Puerto Rico and the
second-largest producer and seller of chicken in Mexico. Pilgrim's Pride employs approximately 56,500 people and operates 37 processing and 12
prepared-food facilities, with major operations in Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Mexico and Puerto Rico as well as other facilities in Arizona, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio and
Utah.
Pilgrim's Pride products are sold to foodservice, retail and frozen entree customers. The Company's primary distribution is through retailers,
foodservice distributors and restaurants throughout the United States and Puerto Rico and in the Northern and Central regions of Mexico. For more
information, please visit
www.pilgrimspride.com....
Also see:
www.goldkist.com...
Love that name: The "Protein Acquisition Corporation."
Makes me think of Soylent Green for some reason.
