Pfizer has mounted an aggressive campaign for its cholesterol-reducing drug Lipitor that includes advertisements, lobbying efforts and a paid speaking tour by a former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Lipitor battle has become a test of the pharmaceutical industry's ability to defend name brands, even as insurers, patients and doctors seek to whittle the nation's $270 billion annual prescription drug bill by using generic alternatives whenever possible. While Lipitor itself is not available as a generic, a very similar drug made by Merck--Zocor--lost its patent protection last year. The generic version of Zocor, simvastatin, …

Kraft Foods is close to a deal to sell its Post cereals--including Raisin Bran, Grape-Nuts and a variety of Pebbles children's cereals--to Ralcorp Holdings, a St. Louis private-label maker of cereals and other foods, for about $2.8 billion, sources say. Kraft and Ralcorp are discussing a stock-based transaction that would free both parties from tax liability. A sale would be part of Kraft's push to get rid of slow-growth assets under CEO Irene Rosenfeld. Post is the No. 3 U.S. cereal maker by sales after Kellogg and General Mills. The deal would raise revenue at Ralcorp by about 50% …

With the goal of helping consumers make healthier choices and to connect the concept of vitality with its products, Unilever has been hyping the nutritional benefits of its brands over the past two years, according to Stephanie Kovner-Bryant, Unilever senior integrated marketing manager. Its first move was to establish a Nutritional Enhancement Program to determine which of its 16,000 products fit U.S. health guidelines. In the course of aligning its products with those guidelines, Unilever excised 15,000 tons of trans fat, 10,000 tons each of sugar and saturated fats and 2,000 tons of sodium from those products. It then …

Former Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner wants Topps to create a movie, TV, Internet and publishing franchise around Bazooka Joe, the eye-patch-wearing kid featured in the waxy comics that wrap around Topps' Bazooka bubble gum. Eisner is head of a consortium that recently purchased the 69-year-old trading card and candy company for $385 million. "Bazooka Joe is my new Mickey Mouse," Eisner says, but he has his work cut out for him. Few young people know about Bazooka Joe. Topps has deals with baseball, football and basketball players and leagues, as well as properties including Star Wars, SpongeBob …

Nottingham-Spirk Design Associates has sold its ideas -- a low-cost spinning toothbrush; a plastic paint can with a spout; a kids' tricycle with a built-in squirt gun -- to a variety of companies, including Procter & Gamble, Newell Rubbermaid, Little Tikes, and Black & Decker. Product designs emerge from brainstorming sessions where designers try to make keen observations about ordinary things. The Cleveland-based firm, with about 70 employees, also designed the Swiffer SweeperVac that has become a well-known product for Procter & Gamble. "What we have found is that by being outside of the bureaucracy of the average corporation, …

After years of ignoring the gay and lesbian market, Las Vegas is courting it with vigor. Major properties are offering lavish commitment ceremonies to same-sex couples (though same-sex marriage is illegal in Nevada), as well as special packages geared specifically toward gay and lesbian travelers. According to research from Community Marketing Inc., a gay and lesbian market-research company, gay and lesbian travel accounts for $55 billion of the overall U.S. travel market. Harrah's research shows gay men spend an average of 30% more than their straight counterparts when traveling. Las Vegas began courting the gay community as part of a …

Dillard's, the country's second largest department store chain behind Macy's in terms of sales, plans to stop carrying the Nautica men's sportswear collection -- the khakis, dress shirts and sweaters that have long served as the brand's cornerstone. Dillard's will replace the products with its own private label beginning early next year, sources say. Eric Wiseman, the president and soon-to-be CEO of Nautica parent VF Corp., confirms the pullback, but says Dillard's will continue to carry some merchandise under the Nautica name, including women's clothing and home goods. He says the men's sportswear sold at Dillard's accounted for less than …

Former President Bill Clinton says that his foundation is teaming up with Wal-Mart to save cities money on environmentally friendly supplies by buying in bulk. Speaking to more than 100 mayors at a climate summit organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors yesterday, Clinton announced that the 1,100 cities represented by that organization will become part of the purchasing group. Clinton and many of the mayors present criticized the White House, saying it has done little about global warming and has missed a chance to boost the nascent "green collar" economy -- the jobs created by making the U.S. more …

Both Ford and Chrysler revealed big sales declines yesterday that seem to put their turnaround plans on shaky ground. General Motors and the three big Japanese automakers all posted gains for October, in which sales were a little stronger than expected. Sales were up 13.1% at Nissan; 3.8% at Honda, and 4.5% at Toyota. GM also continued to show strength, especially at retail, with a third-straight gain of total monthly sales -- increasing 3.4% compared with a year ago. GM's GMC Acadia, Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Aveo, Cobalt and HHR all posted strong performances. Overall, truck sales were up 5.7% at …

Nancy Nord, acting chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the previous chairman, Hal Stratton, have taken nearly 30 trips since 2002 that were sponsored by lobbying groups and lawyers representing the makers of products linked to consumer hazards. The airfares, hotels and meals totaled nearly $60,000, and the destinations included China, Spain, San Francisco, New Orleans and a golf resort on Hilton Head Island, S.C. CPSC officials defend the industry-paid trips as a way for the agency to be in contact with manufacturing officials and hear their concerns despite a limited travel budget. Commission spokeswoman Julie Vallese says …