Anchorage Daily News

Denali gas venture chooses tower

The BP and Conoco Phillips venture to pursue a multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline project from the North Slope said it has signed a lease for about 40,000 square feet in the new Anchorage office tower called 188 W. Northern Lights Building. Their project, called Denali -- The Alaska Gas Pipeline, was formed this year and has begun preliminary work that must be done before deciding whether to build a pipeline project.

A rival pipeline prospect led by Canadian pipeline company TransCanada Corp. also came together this year, and TransCanada reportedly also is looking for office space in Anchorage.

The 188 W. Northern Lights Building is 10 stories above several stories of parking and encompasses 120,000 square feet, according to its Web site.

Denali is expected to move into the building in December or January, said Dave MacDowell, spokesman for the Denali project.

Denali will occupy three floors at or near the top of the building, he said. And a Denali sign will be placed on the building. At present, Denali is housed in two sites: one downtown and one in Midtown.

Pfizer to pay state $580,619

The state will receive a $580,619 payment from Pfizer Inc. under a $60 million settlement that 33 states reached with the drug maker over its promotion of two drugs. The judgment the state filed in Alaska Superior Court will largely restrict Pfizer's ability to deceptively promote its products, said Attorney General Talis Colberg.

States started investigating Pfizer in 2003 over claims that its drug Celebrex was safer and more effective than traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen and naproxen, Colberg said. Later the drug Bextra was added to the inquiry. Ultimately the investigation concluded Pfizer marketed Bextra for uses not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Among Pfizer's marketing actions were hiring influential doctors as consultants to co-opt them and distributing free samples of Bextra to doctors whose specialties did not include ailments for which the drug is approved, Colberg said.

AEDC wins award for newsletter

The Anchorage Economic Development Corp. has received an Excellence in Economic Development award from the International Economic Development Council. The Anchorage nonprofit was recognized for its quarterly newsletter "AEDC Connections" in the category of Newsletters/Newspapers/Magazines by organizations serving areas with populations exceeding 200,000, the AEDC said.

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