U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is proposing legislation that would create a mandatory tracking system for the food manufacturing and retail industry. Any entity that touches potential food products -- from growers to processors to retailers -- would need to keep detailed records on all interactions with any ingredient; and the Food and Drug Administration would have oversight of the proposed database. Brown says the system could help speed notification of consumers of possibly tainted food. "If UPS can track a package from my office in Washington, D.C., to my office here in Ohio, why can't food producers and …

Amazon is launching a video-on-demand service allowing consumers to watch advertising-free movies and television shows instantly within a web browser. The service can also be displayed through a TiVo digital video recorder and a Microsoft Xbox 360 games console linked to a TV. In addition, Amazon Video On Demand will become the new name for Amazon Unbox, which was launched two years ago. Unbox had been confined to selling digital downloads of movies and TV shows, but the new service puts the accent on paid-for streaming. Other Internet services that are offering streaming video include Apple TV and …

Pfizer is paying San Francisco-based Medivation $225 million up front for worldwide marketing rights to Dimebon, a 25-year-old antihistamine developed in Russia that has shown promise for treating patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. It will pay another $500 million if the drug receives approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Pfizer will pay for 60% of the drug's development expenses and reap 60% of profits; Medivation holds the remaining 40% stake in both expenses and profits. An 18-month study revealed in July at the International Conference on Alzheimer's disease, showed that memory, cognitive function and behaviors either …

Procter & Gamble has purchased Nioxin Research Laboratories, a family-run business based in Lithia Springs, Ga., that makes a range of scalp treatments for thinning hair that are sold through salons in more than 40 countries. Nioxin dominates its market with about 75% share, according to P&G estimates. Though approximately 60% of Nioxin customers are men, more women are citing thinning hair as a problem, says CEO Brian Graham, who will continue to run the business. The company was founded in 1987 by his mother, Eve Graham, who will continue her research-and-development role, P&G and the Grahams say. …

P&G is using consumer-generated television spots to drive attention to its popular stain-remover pen, which this month became available in a lipstick-size container. The new Tide to Go Mini pen costs $2.99. The first of four spots -- "Questions for Dollars Game Show" -- depicts a game-show contestant unable to answer questions because he is distracted by a large, talking stain on the host's shirt. The 30-second ad is one of three finalists from P&G's "My Talking Stain" contest, which ran through March 3. It asked consumers to submit videos of situations where Tide to Go came to the …

It has been awhile since the optical business has been as charged by celebrity specs as it has by the rimless pair that Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin wears most of the time. If she wins, it could rock the vision-care market, which totals $26.6 billion a year, says tracker Jobson Optical Research. "We keep getting calls from dealers who want to stock the exact shape and style that she's wearing," says Amy Hahn, vp at Italee, the U.S. distributor of the frames designed by Kazuo Kawasaki, a Japanese industrial designer. The Palin frame -- minus the …

In a globally integrated market, blockbuster brands that address common consumer needs are more important than ever. Consumers around the world are excited to share common experiences. Blockbusters also motivate salespeople and drive distribution for other products in a company's portfolio. The five defining characteristics of blockbusters are: 1. Sheer size. A blockbuster has a transformational impact on a company and an industry. 2. Speed. Blockbuster brands address pressing consumer needs so well that they often enjoy vertical sales lift-off. Think Viagra. 3. Scarcity. Remember the consumer lines to buy the new iPhone? 4. Sustainability. Ad Age values the …