PCT Law Group, PLLC announced today that it has opened the doors of its new office in McLean, Virginia. The firm, which is located in the heart of Tysons Corner, will devote its practice to representing regional and national clients in a broad range of corporate, intellectual property, employment, and litigation matters.

PCT Law Group has tapped H. Scott Johnson, Jr. to serve as its Managing Member. Johnson was previously with Arlington-based Albo & Oblon, LLP and has worked in the General Counsel’s office of Noblis, Inc. (formerly Mitretek Systems, Inc.) and the Washington, D.C. real estate transactional boutique Krooth & Altman, LLP. Prominent intellectual property attorney Raymond Millien will manage PCT’s patent, copyright, and trademark practice. Prior to joining PCT, Millien was General Counsel for Ocean Tomo, LLC. Millien has also served as Vice President and IP Counsel at The American Express Company and practiced at the Washington, D.C. offices of DLA Piper US, LLP and Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox, PLLC.

“Tysons Corner is the epicenter for businesses competing in the 21st century knowledge economy,” said Johnson. “PCT’s central location between the District of Columbia and the Dulles Technology Corridor provides us with a unique opportunity to serve companies at all stages of the growth cycle. Our talented team of established attorneys will offer the experience and legal acumen of a large law firm at a fraction of the cost.”

About PCT Law Group, PLLC:

PCT Law Group, PLLC is a full-service law firm that provides legal counsel and representation to businesses competing in the 21st century knowledge economy in the complimentary practice areas of corporate, intellectual property, employment, and litigation. For more information, please visit http://www.pctlg.com or call (703) 752-3742.

"Markets have become very sensitive to rough weather," said Bart Melek, analyst BMO Capital Markets, pointing to last week's shut-in of oil production ahead of Tropical Depression 10.

The front-month November Brent contract on London's ICE futures exchange was up 103 cents at $78.44 a barrel having earlier climbed to $78.52 a barrel.

The front-month November contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange was trading $1.08 higher at $81.35 a barrel, having early climbed to $81.33 a barrel.

ICE's gasoil contract for October delivery was up $6.50 at $696.00 a metric ton, while Nymex gasoline futures for October delivery were up 106 points at 203.80 cents a gallon.

Tropical Depression 13, about 170 miles east of Tuxpan, Mexico and heading inland, doesn't look to be a problem for oil installations in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, and state-run Petroleos Mexicanos said Wednesday it isn't taking any preventative action against the storm.

Tropical Storm Karen, east of the Windward Islands, is of no immediate threat and its predicted path will miss oil installations in the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico, according to National Hurricane Center prediction charts.

While these storms don't look likely to impact oil production short term, there is also an area of low pressure across the Florida Peninsula and a tropical wave over portions of Hispaniola and it's the uncertainty over how these will develop that may be bolstering prices further.

"The market, through bitter experience, is taking a cautious approach to any weather disturbances in the Atlantic and that's probably why there's little resistance against the current rally," a broker said.

But while the weather may be responsible for the short-term volatility in the oil market, expectations of a tight supply and demand balance in the fourth quarter of 2007 and during 2008 is the main factor underpinning prices.

Even a relatively bearish set of weekly U.S. inventory data Wednesday, showing an unexpected build in crude inventories, couldn't negate this view

The market, seemingly searching for bullish signs, has ignored the overall stock build and chose instead to focus on the continued slide in inventories at the WTI delivery point of Cushing, Oklahoma. "This explains why Brent has been lagging behind WTI on this morning's rally," the trader said.

Mike Wittner, an analyst at Societe General in London, also pointed to the sharp fall in crude runs. "Utilization rate was 2.7% lower week-on-week, the lowest level at this time of year, partly due to a slow restart in refineries shut during Humberto and to continuing maintenance," he said.

These factors, have helped encourage the funds, who have been booking profits over the previous few sessions, to return to the market as buyers.

The world's largest retailer said it will make available for $4 drugs to treat glaucoma, attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fungal infections and acne. Fertility and prescription birth control will also be available for $9, Wal-Mart said.

Last year, Wal-Mart began selling certain generic drugs for $4 per monthly prescription in September and by the end of November had extended the program to all its U.S. pharmacies -- far ahead of schedule.

The company said $4 prescriptions now account for nearly 40 percent of all prescriptions filled in its Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Neighborhood Market pharmacies. It estimates that over the past year, the program has saved customers $613.6 million.

Earlier this year, it said it would open as many as 400 in-store health clinics in the next two to three years, and that number could jump to 2,000 in five to seven years.

As federal health officials offer more evidence that the mercury-containing vaccine preservative thimerosal is safe, many vaccine experts say in retrospect that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision to remove it from childhood vaccines may have done more harm than good by raising public fears.

And still others argue that research and funds still being spent on exploring the risks of thimerosal could be directed to more productive enterprises.

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that early exposure to thimerosal does not cause any neurological problems. Thimerosal, used in vaccines since the 1930s, has been a topic of controversy since the FDA banned it in 1999.

Some claim that the additive causes autism and other brain development disorders in children. But the latest study joins a growing body of literature that shows thimerosal is safe and causes no long-term negative effects on children's health.

Although no concrete evidence at the time showed that thimerosal was harmful, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics pushed for its elimination to quell the fears of parents who might otherwise not get their children vaccinated.

Fentora is approved to treat cancer patients whose pain is not sufficiently controlled by conventional painkillers like morphine or other powerful drugs.

The FDA said it is crucial for doctors to precisely follow prescribing instructions to avoid fatal overdoses of the drug, which should not be used for short-term management of migraines or headaches.

"FDA is monitoring this issue very closely," Steven Galson, the head of the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.

Doctors can prescribe drugs for uses outside their approved labeling, a practice known as "off label use." Cephalon is seeking FDA approval for use in a broader group of pain patients.

Last year, a probe by the Connecticut attorney general found that Cephalon promoted some drugs for uses for which they were not approved, a practice that is illegal.

Cephalon earlier this month detailed three deaths of patients on Fentora, which it said were due to inappropriate use of the drug.

The company on Wednesday said it is working with the FDA to finalize a new label to reflect new safety messages about the drug, which comes in pill form.

FASTER ACTING

In its letter to health professionals dated September 10, Cephalon said patient deaths were due to improper patient selection, dosing or product substitution. It also warned that Fentora should not be used as a replacement for a similar painkiller sold by Cephalon called Actiq.

Fentora delivers more medication to the blood than Actiq, and substituting the same dose for Actiq can be fatal, the FDA said.

Dr. Scott Fishman, past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine and professor at the University of California in Davis, said a big issue is that doctors are not trained in pain management, especially with faster acting painkillers like Actiq and Fentora.

"There are a host of patients out there that need relief quickly. Doctors will feel compelled to use whatever works," Fishman said in an interview.

Fentora is made from fentanyl, which in raw form is 80 times stronger than morphine. Cephalon officials said once it is processed, the difference is much less.

The former Attorney-General, Lord Goldsmith, QC, is joining a top American law firm today to lead its European litigation practice.

Lord Goldsmith, who retired from Government in June after six years – just before be was expected to be sacked – has landed a job with Debevoise & Plimpton.

He will take on a wide range of work involving litigation, investigations, arbitration and public interna-tonal law. Within months he will qualify as a solicitor, while remaining a barrister, and become a partner within the firm. Last year its partners each made annual earnings of $1.8 million (£890,000).

The move is a big coup for the firm, which in the past four years has ranked top of the American/inter-national law firms that have bases in London. Lord Goldsmith said: “I am delighted to be joining one of the world’s leading international law firms and to be heading up Debevoise’s high-quality global litigation practice from Europe.” He said that he had received several “very tempting offers”.

It is known that top commercial chambers, as well as a number of leading British law firms, tried to lure him to join. Top of those disappointed with his choice is likely to be his old chambers at Fountain Court.

Lord Goldsmith, who will be based in London, said that the global work of Debevoise, coupled with its public service work, had enticed him to the post. His post of European chair of litigation will involve him in all aspects of global litigation, including advocacy in British courts.

Lord Goldsmith resigned in June after six years as Attorney-General, where he had a mixed record. Widely praised for his work in boosting the Crown Prosecution Service, his reputation diminished over the legal advice that he gave on the war in Iraq; and subsequently over the dropping by the Serious Fraud Office of the investigation into BAE Systems.

His refusal to stand aside from any decision – ultimately made after he had left the post – over the “cash-for-honours” investigation prompted the current inquiry into whether the post of Attorney-General should be reformed or broken up.

Lord Goldsmith, 56, said that he had to obtain official clearance for taking up the post from the committtee on business appointments, chaired by Lord Mayhew of Twisden, and that he was told that it was “entirely proper” once three months had elapsed. He declined to comment on his earnings but added that they would not “be as much as they would have been at the Bar”.

Debevoise & Plimpton was named “America’s best law firm” in the yearly rankings for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, compiled by the magazine American Lawyer.

A withdrawal from the Nasdaq would hurt the company's ability to attract investors in the world's biggest economy. More than 27 percent of NEC shareholders are non-Japanese.

"It's not positive for NEC as a delisting may hurt foreign investors' trust in the company," Naoki Fujiwara, who helps oversee $3.24 billion at Shinkin Asset Management Co. in Tokyo. "It will have little effect on Japanese investors though."

Shares of NEC fell 2.5 percent to 541 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The stock slid 4.9 percent this year, compared with a 4.6 percent drop in the Nikkei 225 Stock Average. The ADRs, equivalent to one share, rose 3 percent to $4.87, or 559 yen, yesterday on the Nasdaq.

"`The suspension will have little effect over our operations," said Hideyuki Nakajima, a NEC spokesman. "We've taken all possible measures to protect ADR holders and we'll keep improving our accounting practices."

NEC missed a deadline yesterday to submit a report with the required analysis of software, maintenance and service sales under U.S. accounting standards. The information is needed for the auditor to finish consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006.