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Making The Vaccine 06 Nov 2009
Inside the big push to get enough H1N1 vaccines, with CNBC's Mike Huckman.
Making the Flu Vaccine 06 Nov 2009
Wayne Pisano, CEO of Sanofi-Pasteur, discusses the making of the flu vaccine with CNBC's Mike Huckman.

Flu Fighting: On the Frontlines

06 Nov 2009

Flu vaccines were once a business that many drug companies avoided, but that segment of the pharma industry is now firmly in the spotlight. CNBC's Mike Huckman visits the only injectable flu vaccine plant in the US for a behind-the-scenes look.

Under the Flu Vaccine Veil

06 Nov 2009

J&J to Cut Up to 8,000 Jobs 03 Nov 2009
Johnson & Johnson says it will eliminate 6-7 percent of its workforce in a cost-cutting move. CNBC's Mike Huckman has the details.
J&J Announces Massive Restructuring 03 Nov 2009
Johnson & Johnson has announced a restructuring and that it will cut 6-7 percent of its global workforce. CNBC's Mike Huckman has the latest details.

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CNBC ON DIGG

The Boston Scientific Tobin Party

Published: Thursday, 25 Jun 2009 | 1:27 PM ET

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By: Mike Huckman
Reporter

CNBC.com
Man, it's gotta hurt when the publicly-traded company you've been leading for years announces you're stepping down and investors pop the champagne corks.

Shares of several of the big medical device makers are participating in today's rally, so it's hard to tell if Boston Scientific [BSX Loading... () ] is just getting swept up in that or whether the fact that it's among the most actively traded stocks on the NYSE and the biggest percentage gainer in the group is due to its news today.

After 10 years at the helm, BSX CEO Jim Tobin is retiring and the former Chairman and CEO of Zimmer Holdings [ZMH Loading... () ], which makes replacement parts for people, will take his place on July 13th.

CNBC.com Slideshow: Best American CEOs of All Time

Boston Scientific has been locked in an intense battle in the increasingly competitive drug-coated stent market. Those are the little wire mesh tubes that prop open clogged arteries. And it's successful, but hard-fought takeover duel with Johnson & Johnson [JNJ Loading... () ] for Guidant didn't turn out so well. Just this week, though, BSX announced study results that many analyst believe could reinvigorate sales growth for the implantable heart devices BSX got from Guidant.

JPMorgan MedTech analyst Mike Weinstein says, "We expect this morning's announcement, while sudden and surprising to the Street, to be positive for the stock, given Elliott's track record at ZMH of creating shareholder value." And Rick Wise at Leerink Swann says, "We believe Elliott is a highly experienced and energetic executive, capable of effecting positive change and driving progress at BSX." JPM has banked BSX and wants to do it again soon.

I've never met Elliott and I never covered ZMH when he was there. I just hope he's more media and TV friendly than Tobin who has kept a very low profile. Despite repeated invitations, he hasn't done an interview with me or appeared on CNBC in years. Over Tobin's decade-long reign BSX shares have been cut in half. ZMH shares more than doubled under Elliott. Investors are clearly hoping he can do that again.

Questions? Comments? and follow me on Twitter at mhuckman