ALSO NOTED: Boston Scientific announces 2,300 layoffs; Galenica to buy Canada's Aspreva for $915 million;

> Boston Scientific announced worldwide layoffs of 2,300 as part of a restructuring plan that includes selling off some business units and generalized cost-cutting. Release

> Swiss-based Galenica is planning to offer some $915 million for shares of Canada's Aspreva Pharmaceuticals--a 34 percent premium over the company's 90-day average stock performance. Report

> Eli Lilly reported a 19 percent jump in sales this quarter, to $4.6 billion. Earnings also grew to $926 million--a 6 percent hike. Release

> Wyeth boosted sales by 9 percent to $5.6 billion for the quarter and increased its dividend by 7.7 percent. Release

> Spurred by strong third-quarter results, Baxter raised its full-year outlook for earnings per share to a max of $2.77 from a previous top end of $2.70. Release

> Canada's Protiva Biotherapeutics dropped litigation against Merck subsidiary Sirna Therapeutics when it inked a deal to share its RNAi technology with the pharma giant. Report

> Hoping to calm worries spark by a recent announcement by the FDA that the diabetes drug Byetta is linked to a higher risk of acute pancreatitis, Novo Nordisk said that there is nothing in its data that suggests that the late-stage diabetes drug Liraglutide presents the same risk. Report

> The chiefs of Florida's three new research centers say that the state should continue to offer a generous set of incentives in order to attract more research institutes to the area. Report

And Finally... Need to boost team spirit and shed stress at work? Let staffers curse as much as they want--just not in front of customers or senior execs. Report