For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 25, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: News Corp. (NWS), McGraw-Hill (MHP), NYSE Euronext (NYX), Thomson Reuters (TRIN) and Novartis (NVS).

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Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:

Dow Jones to Change Hands

Dow Jones & Co., owned by News Corp. (NWS), has started seeking potential buyers for its stock market index business, including the renowned benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Goldman Sachs has been appointed to explore strategic options for the business. News Corp. bought

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This morning, Novartis (NVS) announced that it has received approval from the European Commission (EC) for the use of Xolair (omalizumab) as an add-on therapy for severe persistent allergic asthma in children in the age group of 6 to 11 years. The approval is positive news for the company and should expand the patient base for the drug. Asthma is a chronic lung disease which is estimated to affect about 10% of children in Europe. It is also the most common cause of school absenteeism and children often use oral corticosteroids to deal with the disease. However, despite conventional therapy, severe asthma remains uncontrolled in more than 50% of children with this condition. Xolair is a humanized monoclonal antibody aimed at treating the underlying mechanism of allergic asthma. The product works by blocking the action of immunoglobulin E (IgE). This helps in preventing the onset of ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - June 8, 2009 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Merck & Co. (MRK), Patni Computers (PTI), Infosys (INFY), Wipro Inc. (WIT) and Cognizant Tech (CTSH).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=4579.

Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:

Another Merck Pipeline Setback

This morning Merck & Co. (MRK) announced disappointing top-line results of its 2,033-patients phase III PROTECT study of rolofylline (MK-7418), under development for acute heart failure. The candidate failed to meet both the primary (improve symptoms of acute heart failure)

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Another Pipeline Setback For MerckThis morning Merck & Co. (MRK) announced disappointing top-line results of its 2,033-patients phase III PROTECT study of rolofylline (MK-7418), under development for acute heart failure. The candidate failed to meet both the primary (improve symptoms of acute heart failure) and secondary (reduce the risk of death or cardiovascular or renal re-hospitalization 60 days after treatment and reduce the incidence of persistent kidney impairment) endpoints.Acute heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalizations of patients over 65, is associated with a high rate of mortality and currently has few treatment options. Rolofylline showed encouraging efficacy including improvement of shortness of breath and effectiveness in preserving renal function compared to placebo in a phase III dose ranging study. This data was presented at the 2008 American College of Cardiology meeting.We had expected Merck to file for FDA approval of ...