ALSO NOTED: Layoffs depress J&J profits; Canada OKs Pfizer HIV med;

> Pink slips cost money. Just ask Johnson & Johnson, which saw its third-quarter profits drop by 8 percent because of money spent cutting jobs. Release [1]

> Health Canada gave the thumbs up to Pfizer's maraviroc, a first-in-class remedy that will be marketed there under the brand name Celsentri. Report [2]

> Elan Pharmaceuticals, Biogen Idec's partner in the MS drug Tysabri, says it might buy the other half of that drug when Biogen changes hands. Report [3]

> Some AIDS activists are upset that Merck priced its new HIV drug at $9,855 per year--not cheap, but not the $20,000 that Roche first asked for Fuzeon in 2004. Report [4]

> Indian drug maker Wockhardt is planning to buy Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals for up to $70 million. Report [5]

> Rules-Based Medicine, which is hot in pursuit of new biomarkers, has received a $25 million injection of cash. Report [6]

> Dutch biotech Crucell has inked a joint venture deal with MedImmune to develop its bacterial antibodies to treat hospital-acquired infections. Report [7]

> Schering-Plough: A good company to work for. Report [8]

And Finally... Speaking of cancer drugs, we have them to thank for a swift drop in death rates from the disease. Report [9]