E Merck hands over vitamin-B drug to SSI in bid to skirt price control
E Merck (India) has assigned its popular vitamin-B complex syrup brand Polybion to a small-scale manufacturer, facilitating its removal from the clutches of price control. Polybion ranks 25th in the ORG list of top-selling drug brands as of April 1998.

HSBC Holdings dons a new avatar, unveils unified brand
HSBC Holdings Plc, parent company of the $484-billion HSBC group, announced on Monday the creation of a unified brand and said that it will henceforth use the hexagon symbol and `HSBC' for common identity and marketing purposes across all its business undertakings.

IOC to kick off upstream foray with Premier Oil in Iran
The Indian Oil Corporation will tie up with Premier Oil of the UK to work on a producing field in Iran. IOC will hold a 30% stake in the venture which marks its first serious foray into the upstream sector.

  Radhakrishnan takes over as SBI chief; Verma spurns 6-month extension offer
  SBI will nurture many subsidiaries within its fold
  Ex-Bank of India chief MG Bhide joins Crisil board
  Spender to don the mantle of Mahindra Ford chief as Parker moves to Detroit
  MTNL firms up Rs 3,000cr investment plans
  Neyveli Lignite to increase mine capacity
  Citil unveils banking software
  Corporate Briefing
  Excise wing scales down ITC duty claim by Rs 160 cr
  No buyback plans for now, says Bajaj
  Foreign banks group to tie up Bhadrawati debt
  Colgate seeks compensation to give up Apeejay House tenancy rights
  Birla Global Finance net dips to Rs 6 crore
  Hindustan Lever meets Y2K-compliance deadline
  Deutsche Bank seals Bankers Trust buyout deal for $10 bn