BRIEFCASE.

Byline: -- Staff and Wire Services

CSC has contract with USAID 

EL SEGUNDO -- Computer Sciences Corp. said Tuesday that it will provide information technology operations and maintenance services to the U.S. Agency for International Development, an independent agency that provides economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide.

El Segundo-based CSC estimates the value of the contract, which has a one-year base period and four one-year options, to be $98 million if all options are exercised.

CSC will provide network telecommunications, local and wide-area networking, security operations and customer and global logistical support activities to help the USAID provide humanitarian aid to more than 90 U.S. foreign-based missions, and security of information and for personnel domestically and abroad.

U.S. government to hold back data

WASHINGTON -- The government proposed on Tuesday to keep confidential some vehicle safety data covering consumer complaints, warranty claims and information on vehicles involved in deaths and injuries.

Consumer groups have tried to get access to the data, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the information ``will cause substantial competitive harm and will impair the government's ability to obtain this information in the future if released.''

The proposal, similar to past versions, came in response to a ruling by a federal judge earlier this year that the agency had failed to provide enough notice to comment on an early warning system plan. In the March ruling, District Judge Richard J. Leon sent the proposal back to the agency.

Publishers reach deal with Kazaa 

The music publishing industry reached a tentative deal with operators of the Kazaa file-sharing network over claims of copyright infringement, an industry group said.

Publishers pursuing a class-action suit against Kazaa informed U.S. District Court on Monday that the peer-to-peer network had agreed to pay ``a substantial sum'' under the agreement, the National Music Publishers' Association said in a statement.

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed. It is subject to final approval by the association board.

Cholesterol drug lowers Pfizer

NEW YORK -- Shares of Pfizer Inc., the world's largest drugmaker, slipped Tuesday after early data on its combination cholesterol therapy showed a slight increase in patients' blood pressure even though it had a significant positive effect on cholesterol levels.

Pfizer shares fell 55 cents, or 2.02 percent, to close at $26.65 on the New York Stock Exchange at higher-than-average volume. Shares have traded between $20.27 and $28.60 over the past 52 weeks.

Data on the treatment, a combination of Pfizer's $12 billion-a-year drug Lipitor and torcetrapib, a compound intended to raise ``good'' cholesterol levels, showed the drug significantly raised ``good'' cholesterol by 56 percent and lowered ``bad'' cholesterol by 27 percent compared with patients taking Lipitor alone.