Novartis says strong dollar to weaken earnings; Biovail founder jousts with firm again;

> Novartis, which reports its results in U.S. dollars, said a recent strengthening of the greenback would have a negative impact on its first-quarter results. Report [1]

> Company founder Eugene Melnyk is again assailing the management of Biovail, demanding a shareholder vote on "several resolutions to bolster Biovail's corporate governance practices." Report [2]

> Teva Pharmaceutical Industries lost its appeals court bid to lift an order that prevents it from selling a copy of Eli Lilly's osteoporosis treatment Evista before a trial starts next month. Report [3]

> The most important malaria drug passed basic quality tests well beyond its sell-by date, indicating a potential shelf-life extension that could save many lives in the developing world, says a new study in Malaria Journal. Report [4]

> King Pharmaceuticals lost almost $550 million in the fourth quarter, largely due to the costs of acquiring rival Alpharma, but also because its Altace painkiller went off patent a year ago, causing sales to drop. Report [5]

[5]> Endo Pharmaceuticals announced today the appointment of William P. Montague, recently retired from Mark IV Industries, to the company's board of directors. Release [6]

> Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis, announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for the first intradermal microinjection influenza vaccine. Report [7]

> Abbott Laboratories launched its new $300 million nutrition plant in Singapore today, aiming to use the location as a launch pad for sales across Asia. Report [8]

> PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative [9] and the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute are poised to announce a new collaboration this morning aimed at developing a next-generation malaria vaccine. Researchers have already identified 25 to 30 early, liver-stage antigens. Now they'll narrow that group down to a set of three to five antigens that can be used in new vaccines. Report [10]

> While the threat of bird flu has largely vanished from the evening news, vaccine experts are acutely aware of the ever-present danger of a human outbreak. Report [11]

> As we reported earlier in FierceBioResearcher, antibodies may prove to be a very effective guard against flu viruses. And some in-depth reporting on the subject helps illustrate just how important an advance this is. Report [12]

> Hawaii Biotech announced the successful completion of a Phase I clinical trial for its West Nile Virus vaccine. The recombinant sub-unit vaccine was found to be safe among healthy volunteers who had not been exposed to the virus. Report [13]

And Finally... What if consumers could calculate the benefits and risks of taking a prescription drug as easily as they can gauge the carbs and calories of an Oreo cookie? Report [14]