Abbott chief eyes non-pharma deals; FDA stresses fainting warning on Gardasil;

> Abbott Laboratories chief Miles White said he maintains a "bias" toward building the non-pharmaceutical side of the company's business and is still interested in non-pharma acquisitions. Report [1]

> The FDA strengthened warnings about fainting on Merck & Co.'s Gardasil vaccine after receiving reports of "traumatic injuries" among some vaccine recipients. Report [2]

> Stada Arzneimittel is taking a closer look at acquisition targets it once regarded as too expensive as prices decline, Chairman Hartmut Retzlaff said in a speech to shareholders in Frankfurt. Report [3]

> FDA is weighing possible action after results from a clinical trial suggested increased death in certain liver transplant patients switched to Wyeth's transplant drug Rapamune. Report [4]

> The FDA approved Cumberland Pharmaceuticals' Caldolor, the first injectable dosage form of the common pain medication ibuprofen, to treat pain and fever. Release [5]

> Generic competition, price erosion, and cost consciousness will shrink the asthma drug market to $10 billion by 2018, from $11.9 billion in 2008, a Decision Resources report says. Release [6]

> A new ad agency hired to resuscitate GlaxoSmithKline's OTC weight loss drug Alli may end up presiding over the drug's demise, Pharma Marketing Blog reports. Report [7]

> The first study of the antinausea drug metoclopramide in pregnant women has found that it is safe for both fetuses and mothers. Report [8]

> Nearly two years after FDA issued a formal advisory urging parents not to give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to infants younger than 2 years without a doctor's advice, a study finds many parents are still willing to give them to children as young as 13 months. Report [9]

Biotech News

> Novartis has taken the lead position in the frenzied race for new vaccine to treat swine flu. Report [10]

> Shares of Savient Pharmaceuticals barreled ahead more than 50 percent this morning after analysts had a chance to digest FDA staff remarks on the gout drug Krystexxa, which is up for a panel review next Tuesday. Savient report [11]

> One of a new class of drugs being advanced by GTx delivered positive data in a mid-stage trial to combat muscle wasting in cancer patients--an unmet medical need with no currently approved therapeutics. GTx report [12]

> Citing problems with the number of patients recruited for a mid-stage clinical trial of the cancer drug aflibercept along with the fragile health of the patients involved, Regeneron Therapeutics and Sanofi-Aventis say they will not be presenting data from the study for accelerated approval. Report [13]

> In an article published yesterday, BusinessWeek casts Novartis CEO Daniel Vasella (photo [14]) as a champion of science bucking the current trend of big mergers in favor of an ambitious investment in experimental drugs in a major piece exploring the drug giant's discovery model. Report [15]

And Finally... Mobile devices, doctor review sites and blogs are changing the way millions of health consumers find and share find health information, according to a new survey released today by the Pew Research Center. Report [16]