Adcock wants to buy S.A.'s Cipla for $227M; Solvay shares up on pharma auction talk;

> South African pharmaceutical firm Adcock Ingram has offered to acquire Cipla Medpro South Africa or CMSA, a generic drug maker, for $227.8 million. Report [1]

> Solvay stock surged after reports by Reuters that the Belgian company would begin an auction of its pharmaceutical unit next week. Report [2]

> GlaxoSmithKline has called a pitch for the global advertising accounts for the nicotine replacement brand, NiQuitin CQ, and Alli, the weight-loss product. Report [3]

> Mylan Laboratories has settled all ongoing Hatch-Waxman litigation over desloratadine tablets, a generic version of Schering-Plough's anti-allergic Clarinex. Report [4]

> A pill used for thyroid disease can cause fatal liver failure in children and should no longer be used to treat them, two doctors warn. Report [5]

> Shares of King Pharmaceuticals rose Wednesday after a Goldman Sachs analyst put the stock on a recommended list, saying King's pain drug Embeda could be approved soon. Report [6]

> Cardiome Pharma and Merck will work together to develop a drug candidate to treat atrial fibrillation, the companies said Thursday, announcing a deal in which Merck could pay Cardiome more than $600 million. Report [7]

> Cephalon has acquired Chinese rights to the anticancer product bendamustine from SymBio Pharmaceuticals, a Japanese bioventure. Report [8]

> Over the last week investors have been grabbing shares of Dendreon as buzz circulates that the Seattle developer is preparing to reveal pivotal data on its pioneering cancer vaccine at an upcoming conference. Report [9]

> A researcher who accidentally pricked herself with a needle used to infect animals with the deadly ebola virus has now become the focus of an impromptu human trial of an experimental vaccine. Report [10]

> Somaxon has met with the FDA to decide its next steps following the rejection of its sleep drug Silenor. In February, the agency said it wouldn't approve the drug without more data, thought it didn't specifically request another trial. Report [11]

> San Francisco-based Medivation has garnered a lot of attention for its experimental prostate treatment MDV3100 following an article in Science Express on the drug. Report [12]

> Budget shortfalls are cutting into Washington state's planned biotech fund, according to Xconomy. Report [13]

> BioWa and Sanofi-Aventis have signed a deal in which Sanofi gains non-exclusive rights to BioWa's Potelligent technology platform for the research, development and commercialization of their antibody therapies with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Report [14]

> Maryland-based cancer research company Avalon Pharmaceuticals said it's accounting firm has issued the company a going concern warning. With it's lead product years away from approval and no other sources of revenue, the company is facing some tough times ahead. Report [15]

And Finally... Nearly every adult has "brown fat" that can burn huge numbers of calories when activated by cold temperatures. Report [16]