ALSO NOTED: Novartis cuts malaria drug price; India bars Cipla from exporting Tarceva copy;

> Novartis is slashing the public-sector price of its antimalarial med Coartem by 20 percent, to 80 cents from $1, to make the treatment more widely available. Report [1]

> Delhi's High Court prohibited Cipla from exporting its generic version of the still-on-patent cancer treatment Tarceva, made by Roche. Report [2]

> Pharmaceutical services firm AmerisourceBergen reported an 8 percent revenue hike to $17.85 billion and higher-than-expected earnings in its second quarter. Report [3]

> Legal wrangling between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and pharmacy trade groups will delay a proposed federal rule lowering the reimbursement for dispensing generic drugs under Medicaid. Report [4]

> Kyowa Pharmaceutical, the Japanese subsidiary of India's Lupin, won regulatory approval to sell 10 products in Japan, including risperidone (J&J's Risperdal) and amlodipine (Pfizer's Norvasc). Report [5]

> After fears that UnitedHealth Group might take its pharmacy benefits management in-house, Medco managed to keep its contract with the insurance giant through 2012. Report [6]

> Yesterday's FDA rejection of Genzyme's Myozyme underscores the challenges biosimilars face in the United States. Report [7]

> In the first quarter of this year, venture capital investment dipped 5 percent to $7.1B, signaling that the current economic slump could have an impact on venture financing. However, there was still a dose of good news for biotech, raising $1.27 billion with 126 deals. Report [8]

> Alpharma has withdrawn its NDA for Embeda, its extended-release painkiller. Report [9]

> With about 40 drug development projects in the pipeline, Germany's Merck KGaA says it will spend about €1 billion ($1.58 billion) on drug research this year. Report [10]

And Finally... The U.S. government is creating a $265 million research initiative that will develop new stem cell technology to re-grow the skin, limbs and muscles of soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. Report [11]