Schering to shut vet plant, cut 240; Gilead gets regulatory OK for CV deal;

> Schering-Plough plans to shutter a veterinary products plant in Bray, Ireland, by 2011, eliminating 240 jobs in the process. Report

> Gilead Sciences said Wednesday that its acquisition of CV Therapeutics will proceed after regulators ended a mandatory antitrust review period. Report [1]

> Seeking to remove unapproved drugs from the marketplace, the FDA ordered nine companies to stop making narcotics whose therapeutic claims haven't been proved. FDA release [2]

> Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said it will cease distributing its morphine sulfate product in the U.S., as it is among the nine companies issued warning letters by the FDA. Report [3]

> GlaxoSmithKline asked the FDA and European regulators to approve the use of its Tyverb/Tykerb cancer treatment as a first-line therapy in combination with anti-hormonal remedies for patients with advanced, hormone-senstive breast cancer. Release [4]

> Wyeth is seeking U.S. approval to sell a new version of its blockbuster infant vaccine Prevnar, which protects against more strains of a germ that causes pneumonia. Report [5]

> Financially struggling Akorn, which has faced borrowing restrictions under its revolving-credit agreement, said a company linked to Chairman John N. Kapoor bought out the lending rights in a move that is expected to bolster the company's financial condition. Report [6]

> Retired Sanofi Pasteur Chairman and CEO David J. Williams has been named to the board of directors of Xcellerex. Release [7]

> Par Pharmaceutical agreed to buy MDRNA's manufacturing facilities n Hauppauge, New York, along with its generic drug candidate calctonin-salmon nasal spray. MDRNA's release [8]

> Genzyme has scooped up key worldwide rights to the leukemia drug Campath--which is being studied as a treatment for MS--and two cancer therapies from its development partner Bayer HealthCare in a deal with a potential $2.8 billion payout. Report [9]

> Facing an FDA delay on its lead therapy [10], Dyax got out the budget-cutting axe and chopped 60 jobs as it scrambled to conserve cash. Report [11]

> The FDA has approved Novartis' Afinitor (everolimus) to treat the most common kind of kidney cancer. And analysts predict that the drug is on track to become a blockbuster, with new approvals for other cancers down the road. Report [12]

And Finally... Scientists at Penn have built a protein from scratch that can carry oxygen, a big step toward creating artificial blood. Report [13]