Merck, Adcock deal extends reach into Africa; Takeda nabs $42.8M in vaccine subsidies;

@FiercePharma: Special Report: Top 10 Women in Biotech. Report | Follow @FiercePharma

> Merck and South African drugmaker Adcock Ingram have expanded their cross-distribution deal to sub-Saharan Africa, raising both companies' presence on the continent. Report

> Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical will produce influenza vaccines by tapping up to 3.6 billion yen ($42.8 million) in subsidies from the Japanese government. Report

> Bristol-Myers Squibb's drug pipeline is looking stronger than expected and it's unlikely that its psychiatric drug Abilify will face generic competition before 2015, a Jefferies analyst said in upgrading the stock. Report

> Reckitt Benckiser won the FDA nod for its sublingual film version of Suboxone, an opioid dependence treatment. Report

> A Citi Investment Research analyst affirmed his positive views of Teva Pharmaceuticals, Mylan and Watson Pharmaceuticals in a research note yesterday. Report

> Generic drugmaker Perrigo has been named to Fortune magazine's Top 100 fastest growing companies in the U.S. Report

> Tens of millions of people in low and middle income countries would be pushed below the poverty line by buying common but vital medicines that are already unaffordable to hundreds of millions more, a study has found. Report

> Allergan won FDA approval for a new version of its drug Lumigan as a treatment for open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Report

Biotech News

 @FierceBiotech: Bayer, Kythera ink $373M dermatology deal. Article | Follow @FierceBiotech

 @JohnCFierce: Tracking this Genz/sanofi story in the press is like watching tennis. A very slow game of tennis. | Follow @JohnCFierce

> Celator gains $20M round for cancer drug dev. Item

> Archimedes snags EMA approval for new pain therapy. News

> Pfizer buys FoldRx for rare disease division. Story

> Cellerant lands $153M BARDA contract for ARS program. Report

> PhIII: Liver enzymes spike in 7 percent of mipomersen group. Article

Drug Delivery News

> Researchers use microneedles to deliver quantum dots. Report

> Spencer develops metformin for diabetics without GI side effects. Item

> Air Force bans e-cigarettes. Story

> Tiny pumps patch in large molecules for drug delivery. News

> Report: African-Americans appear more at risk from drug-coated stents. Article

> Otonomy attracts money, buzz with delivery tech. Story

Medical Device News

 @FierceMedDev: J&J unit warned on hip and knee  replacement systems. Article | Follow @FierceMedDev

> St. Jude, Justice in talks in kickbacks case. News

> Mass., Stryker settle suit. Article

> Indictment: Former Spectranetics execs imported unapproved devices. Report

> EndoGastric raises $30 million surgical devices. News

> Helicos slaps PacBio with patent lawsuit. Item

And Finally... A popular dietary supplement called SAMe may help depressed patients who don't respond to prescription antidepressant treatment, a new study shows. Report