> Pharma recalls hit a 5-quarter high in the second quarter of this year; food recalls also increased while medical devices saw a drop. Video
> FDAzilla projects that the FDA will issue a record-breaking number of 483 inspection reports in 2011 for all the product categories it covers in 2011, for the third straight year; its projection: approximately 10,500. Blog
> Daiichi Sankyo chairman Tsutomo Une has confirmed the November 30, 2011, scheduled launch date for subsidiary Ranbaxy's generic Lipitor, implying that the FDA is satisfied with the progress Ranbaxy is making in its manufacturing remediation. Story
> Consumables supplier and automation specialist TAP Biosystems is installing 6 Cellmate automated cell culture systems to three of the world's leading biopharma companies. Item
>"A palace built on the pain of millions of patients," is how one Chinese internet poster described the opulent images of Harbin Pharmaceuticals' facilities on its website; with a boost from public outrage, the company removed the photos and said they showed an art museum located in the same building. Story
> Pall Corp. ($PLL) has unveiled Life Sciences Centre of Excellence in Singapore, part of the company's global customer support network. Release
> PerkinElmer has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Caliper Life Sciences, a Hopkinton, MA, provider of imaging and detection solutions. Item
> Sartorius Stedim Biotech and GE ($GE) Healthcare Life Sciences signed a patent cross-licensing agreement for noninvasive sensing and automated aseptic solution transfer technologies applied in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Item