Spotlight: Oracle Chairman Buys Stake in SuperGen

Larry Ellison, chairman of software company Oracle Corp., on Tuesday purchased a 9% stake in drug company SuperGen Inc., which is working to develop a new generation of cancer drugs. Oracle was not immediately available to explain the $15-million purchase, but a spokesman for San Ramon-based SuperGen said: “Larry has an interest in cancer, especially prostate cancer. A lot of his close friends like Michael Milken and [Intel Chairman] Andy Grove have had bouts with it.”