Valeant revenues up, losses down Costa Mesa’s...

Valeant revenues up, losses down

Costa Mesa’s Valeant Pharmaceuticals International reported

second-quarter financial results Thursday. Compared with figures from

the second quarter of 2004, Valeant increased revenues and reduced

its net loss.

For the second quarter of 2005, Valeant reported a $500,000 loss,

better than last year’s loss of $41.3 million. The firm’s revenue

for the second quarter improved 20% from $170.4 million to $205

million.

In a statement, Valeant President and Chief Executive Timothy

Tyson said his company’s North American business benefited from

product lines gained when Valeant purchased San Diego-based Xcel

Pharmaceuticals earlier this year.

Identity theft danger for those under 30

Experian, a Costa Mesa credit bureau, and the Gallup Organization

released poll results Wednesday that reported 18% of respondents have

been victims of identity theft. The statistic was higher for people

under age 30. For that demographic, 25% reported being victims of

identity theft.

While only 6% of respondents claimed to have bought any form of

protection against identity theft, 62% believe their data could be

stolen via the Internet.

Experian-Gallup poll results also reported an increase in consumer

confidence. The poll debuted in March with a baseline score of 100

points. According to the poll, consumer confidence improved from a

score of 79 in June to 98 in July, the highest score since the poll

was introduced. The index is calculated using factors including

respondents’ household debt, monthly payment burdens and credit

scores.