> Switzerland's Novartis has scooped up a majority of the shares of Speedel and plans to swiftly complete the purchase of all its stock in a deal valued at $880 million. Report
> Three of the biggest pharma companies on the planet are joining forces to back an unusual venture aimed at developing "breakthrough" discovery technology that can reduce the frequency of trial failures and save them huge amounts of money. Report
> Angiotech Pharmaceuticals said the British House of Lords confirmed the validity of one of its patents for a drug coating on stents, ending a nine-year European legal battle. Report
> GlaxoSmithKline said it would close its factory in Crawley, Sussex, in 2011, leaving the 493 people employed there without jobs. Report | Report
> Health Canada will ask makers of fluoroquinolone antibiotics to include a prominent warning on the label that the drugs can lead to tendon ruptures, following a similar FDA warning Tuesday. Report
> The vaccine against rotavirus, first offered last fall by Merck, appears to be working, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis, which found a marked reduction in incidence in the 2007-8 season compared with average seasons from 1991 to 2006. Report
> CV Therapeutics received marketing authorization from the European Medicines Agency for ranolazine (a.k.a. Ranexa) for the treatment of patients with chronic angina in all 27 EU states. Release
> Acceleron Pharma signed two leases totaling 74,816 square feet and doubled its space in Cambridge, Mass. Report
> Rockville, MD-based Emergent BioSolutions has filed suit against Protein Sciences, saying the vaccine developer never planned to follow through on a planned $75 million acquisition agreement. Report
> For years now investors in the biopharma field have often had to spend a considerable amount of time scratching their heads over what the FDA really meant when the agency issued an "approvable" or "not approvable" letter. Now the FDA says that it will issue "complete response" letters for drugs that aren't approved for sale in the hope that more neutral language can calm jittery nerves. Report
Special Report: The next generation of biotech blockbusters. List
And Finally... Looking for new uses for existing drugs? Check the side effects. Report