GSK expected to nab biggest flu windfall; Sanofi sues to block Sandoz's Taxotere copy;

> GlaxoSmithKline is on track to reap the biggest H1N1 swine flu windfall among major drugmakers, according to latest information from companies. Report [1]

> Sanofi-Aventis asked a U.S. federal court to block Novartis' generics unit Sandoz from selling a copycat version of its Taxotere cancer drug. Report [2]

> Impax Laboratories confirmed that it is challenging the patents on Abbott Laboratories' cholesterol drug TriCor, and that Abbott is suing Impax for patent infringement. Report [3]

> Mylan Pharmaceuticals filed a defamation lawsuit against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, accusing the newspaper of mischaracterizing the drug maker's actions. Report [4]

> Shire's efforts to shift focus to its portfolio of new drugs from its former hyperactivity blockbuster Adderall XR have paid off with third-quarter revenue that beat analysts' expectations. Report [5]

> Ranbaxy Laboratories, India's largest pharma company, has sold its Vietnam business and is also looking to divest another. Report [6]

> Valeant Pharmaceuticals agreed to buy the rights to several prescription and cosmetic dermatology products from a privately-held, Polish specialty pharmaceutical company for $18 million. Release [7]

> Independent health advisers begin monitoring safety of the swine flu vaccine, an extra step the government promised in this year's unprecedented program to watch for possible side effects. Report [8]

> U.K. women who have had a fracture are not getting treatment to prevent them having future bone breaks, a Cambridge University study suggests. Report [9]

Biotech News

> Israel's Protalix BioTherapeutics (PLX [10]) has seen its shares skyrocket 415 percent this year. And its success developing a new Gaucher disease therapy appears to have attracted some intense interest from Pfizer. Article [11]

> Shares of GTx (GTXI [12]) tumbled 34 percent in premarket trading as investors digested the sour news that the FDA is demanding data from a second late-stage trial of its bone loss drug before it makes a final ruling. Report [13]

> The early-stage German biotech Probiodrug won an impressive $54 million in fresh venture capital backing in one of the largest biotech rounds reported this year. Report [14]

> There's a new entry in the closely-watched race to win approval for a blockbuster new weight loss drug. Amylin Pharmaceuticals announced this morning that it struck a billion-dollar development deal with Takeda for new obesity therapies that may rival the late-stage programs [15] pushed by Vivus, Arena Pharmaceuticals and Orexigen. Article [16]

> Human Genome Sciences and its partner GlaxoSmithKline revealed that the high dose of their experimental lupus therapy demonstrated a statistically superior response compared to placebo in a second late-stage trial, laying the groundwork for an FDA marketing application. Article [17]

IT News

> As IBM prepares to unveil a mashup service and the latest edition of its Mashup Center software, Pfizer is revealing more about its use of the IT-staff-relieving, business-unit empowering technology. Article [18]

> Researchers are using high-throughput sequencing technology in high-resolution human leukocyte antigen genotyping. Report [19]

> Eye-care company Bausch & Lomb will implement Phase Forward's InForm electronic data capture solution and Allergan has also signed on with the integrated data management solution supplier. Report [19]

> Clinical Financial Services, which offers payment and contract management services that support both CROs and sponsors, is using the iBOLT Business Integration Suite from Magic Software with its own SaaS-based ePayment solution. Item [20]

> Contract researcher Omnicare Clinical Research has attained the Rave Accredited Plus level in Medidata's ASPire to Win program. Report [21]

And Finally... Potential curbs on pharma advertising could mean trouble for one of the magazine business' most dependable revenue categories. Report [22]