Poison pills are adopted by companies in order to prevent a hostile takeover by diluting the value of a shareholder's stake.

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Prominent Republicans have been asking America to swallow poison pills as well.

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But, he says, most companies ignore the growing danger: No companies have planted these poison pills (there are 2, 500 in the U.S.).

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Those amendments, they said, would serve as "poison pills" that would have the effect of scuttling the bill, even if the House approved it.

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In any other context, the company would be viewed as ripe for acquisition, but its JVs make for a more effective takeover defense than even the best poison pills ever devised.

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During second reading debate on the Health and Social Care Bill on 31 January 2011, the former cabinet minister described the coalition's plans as a "set of poison pills" for the health service.

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Other factors relate to discontinued operations (booking a one-time gain from selling a business is bad), corporate governance (companies get black marks for having poison pills), inventory (if it piles up faster than sales, then business may be weakening) and free cash flow (a declining number is bad).

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As it might in Congress: The House leadership, under pressure from moderates and lawmakers in close races back home, promises a vote within a month on a disclosure measure more to its liking -- but it will include disclosure requirements for groups like labor unions and trial lawyers, which they know would be poison pills for Democrats.

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