The Journal News from White Plains, New York • Page 21

wtu EAilui CALENDAR 19 10 Caught in Google's cross hairs New mapping feature includes unwitting subjects, www.lohud.combuslness (Ehc Journal NciUS Monday, June 4, 2007 Business news as it happens LoHud.com Peopleln Theftews If Aj DILEERT 0) Friendly notices ACORDA THERAPEUTICS INC. coming from IRS Taxpayers who may have made mistakes have explaining to do i A 1 hm. Eileen Alt Powell The Associated Press NEW YORK Americans who filed their federal income tax returns in mid-April may think they're done with the Internal Revenue Service for the year. But some 3 million of them will soon be receiving "Dear Taxpayer" letters pointing out problems ranging from simple math errors to questionable itemized deductions. There's no need to panic, tax experts advise.

Often the questions are easy to answer or misunderstandings easy to clear up. "Don't assume that just because you're getting a notice that you've done something wrong," said Eric Tyson, co-author of "Taxes 2007 for Dummies." "You may not have made a mistake." He added that "a lot of the issues are fairly easily dealt with," often by providing additional documentation. That doesn't mean the taxpayer should throw the letter in a drawer and forget about it, Tyson said, suggesting a quick call to the IRS could resolve the issue "or at least get the process going." IRS spokeswoman Nancy Math-is said millions of notices go out in May and June each year based on the April tax filings. Last year, some 3.1 million notices were sent "It could be Photos by Ricky FloresThe Journal News Dr. Ron Cohen, founder, president and chief executive officer of Acorda Therapeutics Inc.

in Hawthorne. In pursuit of MS -L; David M. JHepner-Loso Bertaccini Patrick Doherty "New Jobs Laura Jean Mirkinson Dr. Laura Jean Mirkinson, Larch-' mont, has been named the new chief of pediatrics at Blythedale Children's Hospital in Valhalla, a title previously held by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joelle Mast.

Mast will continue to do clinical oversight at the hospital, but also will pursue development of the research center. Mirkinson came to Blythedale from Children's National "Medical Center in Washington and Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, where she practiced as a pediatric hospitalist for the past 12 years. She also is a founder and chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Sec-, on Hospital Medicine. E. O'Nell, Pound Ridge, has obeen named executive vice president of Kinloch Holdings New York, a newly formed insurance brokerage holding company focusing on middle market companies.

O'Neil comes from USI Holdings, where he was the chief operating officer. Before USI, he was president and chief executive officer of Carpenter Pelton a Westchester-based insurance agent and broker. Dr. Heather Brumberg, White Plains, a neonatologist affiliated with Regional Neonatal Center, has been appointed to the medical staff of Putnam Hospital Center, Carmel. She received her medical degree from Tufts University and her master's degree from the Yale School of Public Health.

David M. Bertaccini, Somers, has joined Cappelli Sales Marketing as sales specialist for The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, White Plains. He will be responsible for sales of the condominium residences in Tower II. Bertaccini brings 17 years of experience in luxury real estate sales to this new position. Most recently, he was the Harbors at Haverstraw and Riverbend in Peekskill.

Prior to that, he was sales manager for Glassbury Court in Mount Ksco. Dan Cassldy, White Plains, has been promoted to vice president of media and strategic partnerships for Undertone Networks, New York. He will lead new media initiatives and continue to develop new publisher partnerships. Cassidy joined Undertone in April 2004 as a media buyer and was promoted to director of network development in 2006. Undertone Networks is an online advertising network composed of top media properties.

Patrick Doherty, Somers, has joined financial planner Robert J. Reby Co. Danbury, as a client service manager. Doherty comes from Commerce Capital Markets, where he provided financial services for Commerce Bank customers in New York City, Westchester County and lower Connecticut. Prior to that he was associated with Morgan Stanley in White Plains.

Terrl Hepner-Loso, New City, has been promoted to district sales coordinator for Aflac Southfields. Hepner-Loso has been with Aflac 1 since 2003. She will be responsible for promoting the brand to potential clients and new recruits. She will also coach and mentor new recruits while maintaining her existing client base. Michael Lopez, Tarrytown, has joined the Dellwood Country Club, New City, as assistant general manager.

Lopez will oversee the catering department, food and beverage operations. He also will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the club. Lopez was assistant general manager at Ardsley Country Club. Before working at Ardsley, Lopez was general manager at Wil-; low Ridge Country Club in Harrison. Illssa Miller, Mamaroneck, has joined The tel(x) Group, New York, as director of marketing communica-tions and public relations.

Miller comes from Telstra where she held positions in product manage-1 ment and channel marketing. Previ-1 ously, she held positions at various companies in telecommunications in-k eluding DLM Communications. Getting published People in the News appears Mondays. Send information about new jobs, promotions and appointments to Michael Bieger at The Journal News, Business News Department, 1 Gannett Drive, White Plains, NY 10604, by e-mail (mbiegerlohud.com) or by fax (914-696348). Include name, hometown, and current and previous employertitle.

Also include relevant background, a photograph (if available) and a daytime contact phone number. If- Hawthorne startup to begin final trials of breakthrough Julie Moran Alterio The Journal News For most people, walking is as simple as breathing. You simply look where you want to go and your muscles and nerves seamlessly do the rest. But what if along the way, some of the signals from your brain to your muscles were lost? Walking would become much harder. That's the reality for many of the 400,000 people in the United States who have multiple sclerosis, or MS.

The disease attacks the insulation of the nerve fibers that carry electrical signals from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and umbs. Just as a frayed electrical cord short-circuits, the exposed nerve fibers can't do their job. Now picture a molecule that can bind up the frayed insulation in nerves like electrical tape. Its name is fampridine, and it was synthesized from coal tar back in the 1890s, during the heyday of organic chemistry. Today, Acorda Therapeutics, a biotech company in Hawthorne, has created a sustained-release tablet with fampridine as the active ingredient.

The company is starting its second Phase 3 clinical trial of the drug this quarter, the final step before it applies for approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Ron Cohen, an Irvington resident and founder of Acorda, explained that Fampridine-SR doesn't replace the nerve insulation, known as myelin, but instead blocks the leaks, boosting the conduction of nerve impulses and improving walking speed for about 35 percent of patients who took the drug in the first Phase 3 trial, which ended last year. If approved by the FDA, Fampridine-SR will be the first MS therapy that actually tries to im- drug attended conferences, read papers and visited scientists. Out of more than two dozen drug candidates, Acorda is focusing on four potential treatments today, all in the arena of MS, spinal cord injury and other disorders of the central nervous system.

Fampridine-SR is the only molecule in clinical trials. The others in the pipeline will have to wait to move to the next stage with funding from Fampridine-SR sales. "One of the challenges for small biotech companies like us is going out and raising funds for earlier-stage products," Cohen said. Acorda raised $31.5 million in an initial public offering of stock in February 2006 about half of what it originally hoped, thanks to a weak IPO market at the time. In October, the company raised an additional $29.8 million in a private sale of shares.

In the meantime, to generate cash flow to help pay for Fampridine-SR trials, Acorda licensed a drug known as Zanaflex from Elan Corp. Acorda paid Elan $2 million in 2004 and agreed to pay up to $19.5 million more in milestone payments depending on sales. As of now, Acorda has paid an additional $9.5 million. Zanaflex treats a condition known as "spasticity," a common complaint among people with MS and spinal cord injuries. The muscles, deprived of normal nerve function, flex independently in ways that can be uncomfortable.

A drug called u'zanidine, which is the active ingredient in Zanaflex, treats the condition. Zanaflex tablets were approved by the FDA in 1996 and are no longer protected by patents. There are 12 generic competitors to Zanaflex tablets. However, Zanaflex capsules, which come in a higher dose, have a patent until 2021. Acorda sells both, but is focusing on marketing the capsules, which are not considered equivalent to tablets by the FDA.

This means that if a doctor prescribes the capsules, a pharmacist can't substitute a generic Please see ACORDA, 10C the cubicle 43 percent of those surveyed were "completely satisfied" with their jobs. Just more than a third said the same about their chances for promotion. Thirty-one percent said they made enough money. That leaves plenty of margin for let-loose, no-holds-barred belly about an inaccurate Social Security number, or a deduction we don't understand or that somebody subtracted wrong," Mathis said. If the return wasn't signed, it On the Web www.irs.gov www.grant-thornton.com www.jklasser.

com will be mailed back with a cover letter for that signature before it's processed, she added. In addition, the IRS will send out more than 3 million copies of its CP 2000 Notice of Underreport-ed Income this year. These forms, which are based on 2005 tax-year filings, are more serious and generally propose changes to the individual's tax return that result in more taxes due. "In this case, there is a discrepancy," Mathis said. "Basically, your return doesn't match up with the information we have.

We tell the taxpayer what that is and propose what the settlement might be." Mel Schwarz, a national tax partner with Grant Thornton LLP, an accounting firm with head-quaters in Chicago, said most taxpayers can handle the correction of simple errors on their own, directly with the IRS. Schwarz did so himself last year. "I wrote down my son's name, which is the same as mine except for a different middle initial, and then I wrote down my Social Security number after his name," he said. The IRS disallowed the exemption for his son, recalculated the taxes due and sent a letter to Schwarz requesting payment Taxpayers who make calls should remember to keep track of the IRS worker's name and employee number as well as the date "so if anything else comes up, you have a record to trace back to," he said. He said that if taxpayers do have to correct their federal tax returns, they also need to take a second look at their state returns.

"If taxes are due, sometimes you may have to pay interest but typically you're not subject to penalties," Schwarz said. "But stick this letter away and try to forget it and six months later, you really do have a problem." culture aching. "We whine about bad tips. That's at the top," said Kristyn See-ley, manager of servers at Mellow Mushroom in Durham, N.C. "We whine about other waiters, the schedule, not doing enough shifts.

"Another thing is the sections," she continued, her speech quickening as she ticked off the list Servers "will complain even if you give them the good sections. 'I'm getting they'll say if working the patio in the summer. "I'm sure IU think of something else," she added. Tune in to conversations at other restaurants, factory floors or of- Piease see WORKPLACE, IOC Therapeutics, works last month Acorda Therapeutics Inc. Ticker AC0R (Nasdaq) Headquarters: 15 Skyline Drive, Hawthorne, N.Y.

10532 Telephone: 914-3474300 Web site: www.acorda.com Work force: 126 Cohen that the biotech route was his calling. "I saw the power of that model to raise the enormous amounts of capital you need to take science out of the lab and into the clinic where it could do some good," he said. He decided to start his own biotech firm and to focus on neurology, in part because of his family history. His father was a neurologist at Columbia University Medical Center. Between 1992 and 1995, when Acorda was incorporated, Cohen took the business from idea to reality.

It was never his goal to create a lab and develop therapies from scratch, but instead to license technology from university labs. "We started out with a premise that we were not going to engage in scientific discovery research. We were not going to be the ones at the bench trying to find a novel molecule. That takes hundreds of millions of dollars," Cohen said. So during those years, Cohen pastime of competition makes jobs unstable.

A new breed of youth, with less fear of managers, is introducing new dynamics to the office. "What's happening is people are not afraid to whine in public anymore," said Gary Topchik, a Los Angeles-based consultant who wrote a book on workplace negativity. Some companies have enabled it To shed militaristic, top-down cultures, managers have asked for opinions. To keep valuable employees from leaving, they have catered to workers' demands. To adjust to youngsters, employers have cranked up the praise; if the exaltation doesn't come, the whining does.

Gallup, one of the nation's leading pollsters, last year found that Jennifer laci, a scientist at Acorda on an experiment in Hawthorne. prove the function of damaged nerves. Other MS treatments on the market today attempt to slow the progress of the disease. "It's one of the greatest unmet needs in medicine today," Cohen said. Briarcliff Manor resident Deb-by Bennett, vice president of programs and services at the Southern New York Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in White Plains, said walking problems affect about half of the people who have a common form of MS.

If the FDA finds Fampridine-SR to be safe and effective, it has the potential to help a lot of people, Bennett said. "Ve're very hopeful. Anytime a therapy becomes available for someone with MS, it's great news. We want to improve their quality of life, and if this is going to do it, we're thrilled," she said. Getting so close to an FDA-approved treatment for a neurological ailment has taken Cohen almost 15 years.

That's when the idea for a company like Acorda came to Cohen, a board-certified internist-turned-biotech entrepreneur. In 1992, Cohen had just left an earlier venture that he joined in 1986, a biotech startup called Advanced Tissue Sciences Inc. that focused on growing skin and bone marrow for transplant That experience convinced what it takes to get it done. They don't care that other issues are pressing. They just demand.

We complain. "Whining," said Steven Rogel-berg, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, "is often a coping response." And these days, we seem to be "coping" more. Grumbling about the boss or the workload or colleagues has been a favorite hobby since about the rime man first put tool to stone. But a changing workplace is making workers more brazen about it Hierarchies are flattening as businesses strive to be more nimble. Uncertainty is rising as global Whining: The national Changing workplace has everyone griping Jonathan B.

Cox McClatchy Newspapers RALEIGH, N.C. This article was the boss' idea. He wanted it written practically before he got the thought out of his mouth. Of course. He sits around in the office all day waiting for dispatches to appear like magic.

He has no clue how hard it is to get people to bare their souls. Isn't that the way? Managers have some epiphany, and the worker suffers. They don't know.