Taser International Shares Rise on News of Safety Study
Saturday, January 15, 2005 at 02:53AM
TheSpook
But 2 of the Study's 4 authors are employed by Taser International
Shares of Taser International, the
manufacturer of stun guns whose safety has been questioned, rose more
than 22 percent yesterday after the company said a newly published
scientific study affirmed that the gun's electric shocks do not cause
cardiac arrest and "may be safely applied multiple times if needed."
The news release issued by Taser quoted directly from the study but did
not list the four authors, two of whom are Taser executives. The
release also said that the study was published in a prestigious
peer-reviewed journal, Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology. But the
study is scheduled to appear instead in a supplement to the journal,
not the journal itself. Studies in both the journal and the supplement
are peer reviewed, according to Dawn Peters, a spokeswoman for the
journal's publisher, Blackwell Publishing. In a peer-reviewed journal,
qualified outside researchers evaluate the findings. After the news
release appeared, Taser's stock rose sharply, closing at $20.80 a
share, up $3.79. Just two days earlier, the stock plunged $5.95, or
nearly 30 percent, to $14.10, after the company said that sales might
slow because of increased competition.Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported
yesterday that the Pentagon had found the guns generally safe, although
a military study recommended further studies. The study noted that two of the
four authors were Robert A. Stratbucker and Max Nerheim, who were
identified as Taser employees. Mr. Stratbucker is the medical director
and Mr. Nerheim is the vice president for engineering, the company
said. [more]
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