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The Sanofi-Aventis Multaq must be considered one of the main options for treating atrial fibrillation, one of the most frequent disorders of cardiac rhythm, recommended on Sunday the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

This recommendation is a key support rider for a drug that has so far achieved only modest commercial start.

The Multaq (dronedarone) is intended to replace an older molecule, amiodarone, and has fewer risk factors than the latter, but it has generated to date that relatively weak sales in the U.S. and Europe because several studies have found limited effectiveness.

In its new recommendations on the management of atrial fibrillation (AF), ESC Multaq attributed to a Class 1 recommendation, which means it is a safer treatment option even though it may be less effective.

"Given the superior advantages in terms of safety and potential outcomes, the dronedarone might be preferable as a first option antiarrhythmic" explain the recommendations, published at the ESC congress in Stockholm.

The paper also highlights, for the first time the importance of reducing the duration of hospitalization of patients with atrial fibrillation, a result of Multaq found in a pivotal clinical trial.

The drug is not recommended for patients with severe heart weakness.

"Sanofi-Aventis is pleased with this recommendation Multaq first line in the FA, which constitutes a recognition of the extensive clinical development program of the drug and the innovative results achieved in terms of reduced hospitalizations from cardiovascular causes," said Marc Cluzel, executive vice president in charge of research and development in the pharmaceutical group, in a statement.

The marketing of Multaq was approved in the United States in July 2009 and last September in the European Union.He is considered one of the main growth potential of Sanofi for years to come, which will be marked by the patent expiry of several key products groups, which include cancer Taxotere or anticoagulant Plavix.

The Multaq could generate an annual turnover of 1.2 billion euros in 2014 according to consensus estimates of analysts by Thomson Reuters.

American International Group (AIG) is expected to decide by early next week if he enters into formal negotiations with strategic investors for AIA, its Asian subsidiary life insurance, it was learned Wednesday from sources near process.

The establishment of a deadline for submission of bids by U.S. insurer AIG could finally shows consider introducing its Asian subsidiary of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in the fourth quarter of the year, but that an outside investor is entering the capital AIA ago.

Some Chinese investors have nevertheless expressed their interest in acquiring a stake in AIA before its IPO, which would allow it to recover about U.S. $ 15 billion (12 billion euros).

Given the short time remaining, it is unlikely that a significant agreement is reached before the start of the procedure prior to an IPO.

"The train ahead of the IPO rather quickly.This means that the possibility to stop it is limited to a strategic investor wishing to report to the Board, examine accounts and negotiate the price, "said one source familiar with the matter.

SEVERAL CHINESE GROUPS INTERESTED

AIG was not immediately available for comment.

Three to four consortia consisting of Chinese investors have approached AIG offering to take stakes in AIA before its IPO, said one source.

Some consortia have expressed interest to take between 10% and 30% stake in AIA, said the sources interviewed.

These have however said AIG is focused solely on an IPO while strategic investors do not constitute a decisive element of the process.

The press had previously cited the names of China Life Insurance, Ping An, Cinda Asset Management Fosun Group, Hony Capital and Alibaba.com among potential suitors for a strategic stake in AIA.

AIG should be mandated Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as international coordinators of the IPO of its subsidiary, had previously been learned from several sources.

Generally the interests sold before the IPO are priced downgraded which is then used to refer to that of the IPO.

Such a transaction could facilitate the sale of the remaining capital from traditional institutions and funds.

If the proposed IPO of AIA is realized, it could be the largest ever conducted on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and would allow AIG to repay a portion of public funds injected into the U.S. insurer in 2008.

The New York Stock Exchange ended down 0.22% Friday, the Dow Jones 30 industrial yielding 23.31 points to 10,651.67.

The S & P 500 is broader, lost 4.38 points, or 0.39%, to 1121.43.

The Nasdaq Composite fell on his side of 4.75 points (0.21%) to 2288.31.

For the week, took the Dow 1.8%, as the S & P 500 and Nasdaq fell 1.5%.

BP wants to sell its network of Aral gas stations in Germany for about two billion euros, the German weekly reported on Saturday Wirtschaftswoche, citing banking sources.

The French Total, the Russian Rosneft and as the European Avia Service Station are among the possible buyers, the newspaper business.Rosneft is also interested in two refineries that BP has in Germany, says he.

BP, Rosneft and Total had no immediate comment.

The British oil giant recently announced its intention to sell for $ 30 billion in assets over the next 18 months to meet the cost of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sources close to the industry, the sale is deemed unlikely because the chain of service stations is included in BP's refining operations and disposals of assets of the company focus more on the upstream oil and gas fields and gas.

Aral is the market leader Germany with about 2,400 service stations operating under its brand, according to its website.BP acquired the chain in 2002 as part of a broader agreement with the German energy group E. ON

Motorola profit and publishes a quarterly sales above Wall Street expectations, greeted by a rise in its pre-market action.

The American group as it prepares to split into two operations in early 2011, has achieved the second-quarter earnings of $ 162 million or seven cents per share, against 26 million (one cent per share) for the same period the last year.

Excluding items, earnings per share came to nine hundred, while analysts were expecting EPS of eight hundred according to Thomson Reuters I / B / E / S.

Turnover fell to 5.414 billion dollars against 5.497 billion in the second quarter of last year, but it exceeds the market consensus, which gave 5.19 billion.

Motorola shipped 8.3 million mobile phones in April-June, 2.7 million smartphones equipped with the Android operating system developed by Google.

Analysts were expecting deliveries of 8.13 million units with 2.69 million smartphones by seven analysts polled by Reuters.

In the first quarter, Motorola had shipped 2.3 million smartphones for a total of 8.5 million handsets shipped.

The action group has risen by 3.5% in pre-market trade to $ 7.95.

U.S. stocks opened lower Monday as investors remain concerned about budget problems and the situation of banks in Europe, but activity in the area of mergers and acquisitions limit their decline.

A few minutes after opening, the Dow Jones gives 31.15 points, or 0.3%, to 10,166.88 points. The S & P 500 was down 3.77 points (0.3%) to 1074.19 points while the Nasdaq went up into the green and gained 0.3% to 2203.37 points.

Wall Street took a breather after the biggest weekly increase recorded by the S & P this year and before the start of the season results will be given after the closure of Alcoa.

The questions also persist about the strength tests conducted on the European banks.The magazine Der Spiegel reported this weekend that the test included a discount on the German debt, a hypothesis that several sources had previously rejected.

"There is a risk that banks are not doing that well in these tests," said Dan McMahon of Raymond James Financial."We do not know how likely it is but there is a certain pessimism.

Aon Corp., the first global insurance broker, announced that it would buy services company Hewitt Associates human resources for about 4.9 billion dollars (3.9 billion euros) in cash and stock.

The action Hewitt burns 33% to 47.05 dollars while Aon was down 7.4% to $ 35.50.

"This new (fusion) is very positive when we start to earnings season," said Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer Hugh Johnson Advisors. "It's very positive when we see money flowing into this market."

Title Playboy Enterprises also jumped 34.3% to 5.29 dollars.The eponymous magazine founder Hugh Hefner has presented an agreement to leave the company of NYSE, proposing to buy all shares it does not already own for $ 5.50 in cash.

The European Commission approves acquisition of Volvo by Ford Motor by Chinese carmaker Geely Holding Group and the group of public investment Daqing.

The European Commission said in a statement that after investigation the transaction does not have significant problems of competition.

The World Group announced Monday it had received two takeover bids and a mark of interest.

The first offer comes from the CEO of the Nouvel Observateur allied to the Spanish group Prisa and France Telecom, the company said in a news release.

The second offer from a consortium of philanthropist Pierre Berge, the banker Matthew and businessman Xavier Niel.

The "expression of interest" from the Multimedia Group income.

The Le Monde group added that its supervisory board would nominate a candidate June 28

General meetings of company personnel who have a veto are scheduled for 24 and 25 June

Investment bank Goldman Sachs is the subject of a complaint in partnership to shareholders filed by law firms Zamansky & Associates and Lovell Stewart Halebian Jacobson, officials said in a statement last Monday.

Read also: Goldman Sachs, the trickster, the goat and pigeon

Both firms have filed "a complaint in partnership April 30 in federal court in New York (Southern District) on the part of investors who bought shares of Goldman Sachs from January 2, 2007 and April 16, 2010" when Constable American Stock Exchange (SEC) filed a complaint against the bank, argued the statement.

The SEC filed a complaint against Goldman Sachs and one of its employees, French Fabrice Tourre, accusing them of deceiving customers by selling them financial products backed by very risky market in U.S. housing, which has collapsed in 2007.

According to several American media, American Justice has in turn opened a criminal investigation against the bank but has not yet decided to complain.