Appeals panel backs dismissal of AZ, Bristol-Myers kickback suit; Reckitt sales slow as pharma spinoff nears;

@FiercePharma: Can't stop gambling or shopping? Parkinson's meds may be to blame, JAMA study finds. Feature | Follow @FiercePharma

@EricPFierce: RT @FiercePharma: Top-read special report Monday: The top 10 most expensive drugs of 2013. Report | Follow @EricPFierce

@CarlyHFierce: Novartis recruits Nick Cannon for double-whammy flu campaign. FiercePharmaMarketing story | Follow @CarlyHFierce

> AstraZeneca ($AZN) and Bristol-Myers Squibb ($BMY) won't have to fight a whistleblower lawsuit over alleged kickbacks to a pharma benefits manager; a U.S. appeals court upheld a lower court's decision to toss the case. Report

> The U.K.'s Reckitt Benckiser saw sales growth slow in the third quarter as it prepares to spin off its pharma business by the end of this year. Report

> An epilepsy patient group is urging Congress to pass new Drug Enforcement Administration scheduling rules to speed up access to drugs for the condition. Release

> Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) and its partner Pharmacyclics ($PCYC) asked the FDA to approve a new use for their cancer drug Imbruvica, in patients with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. Release

> Novartis ($NVS) sued India's Dr. Reddy's Laboratories over the latter's filing for U.S. approval for a version of its blood cancer drug Gleevec. Report

> Bayer's new pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Adempas won a Prix Galien award, which recognizes achievements in pharma science. Release

Medical Device News

@FierceMedDev: 2014's most memorable medtech patent battles. Feature | Follow @FierceMedDev

@VarunSaxena2: ICYMI yesterday: Nanodevices could be unleashed by DNA-brick self-assembly. Article | Follow @VarunSaxena2

@EmilyWFierce: RIP Shabbvie. Bloomberg piece | Follow @EmilyWFierce

> Illumina up 10% on strongest growth since 2011, raises 2014 guidance. Story

> Google, KKR, Kleiner Perkins invest $542M in virtual reality eyeglass startup. Article

> FDA clears app to monitor brain health on the battlefield. More

> Q&A: CMO says Covidien wants to engage parallel review process. Editor's Corner

Biotech News

@FierceBiotech: Great panel with $BLUE, $PFE, $AGIO, $GSK and $SNY on the revolution in drug R&D. Video will be up on site tomorrow. | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: Top 10 Phase III disasters of 2014. Feature | Follow @JohnCFierce

@DamianFierce: RT @DatamonitorMark: David Shlaes: "AZ has told its antibiotics researchers they should make efforts to find other jobs in near future." Blog post via Antibiotics - The Perfect Storm | Follow @DamianFierce

@EmilyMFierce: Human intestinal organoids grown in mice could help personalize treatments. FierceBiotech Research story | Follow @EmilyMFierce

> AbbVie's $55B deal for Shire is officially dead. Now what? More

> Omeros halts a Phase II Huntington's trial over alarming rat results. Story

> Despite a mid-stage miss, Cytokinetics is taking its ALS drug toward Phase III. Article

Biotech Research News

> GlaxoSmithKline drug flips off cancer mechanism in aggressive leukemia. Story

> Protein boost restores hearing in deaf mice. More

> Human intestinal organoids grown in mice could help personalize treatments. Story

> Researchers pinpoint potent anti-obesity compounds. More

> Protein switch could boost recovery after heart attack. Article

Pharma Manufacturing News

> Janssen recalls 13,500 bottles of Xarelto because of contamination. News

> Canada cuts Apotex a break on some banned drugs. Report

> BARDA calls on Novartis, GSK, Emergent to pitch in with Ebola drug. Article

> FDA will start the new year with its Office of Quality in place. Item

> Lilly closing a Puerto Rico plant next year but investing in another. More

And Finally... The U.K. government has backed access to unapproved meds for terminally ill patients. Report