@FiercePharma: Billy Tauzin to step down as president of PhRMA in June. Report | Follow @FiercePharma
> Bayer's sales growth in China may surpass 20 percent, and the company may move a global business headquarters to that country as well, the company's former China chief said. Report
> One in five Europeans say they have bought prescription drugs on the Internet without a doctor's guidance, fueling a 10.5 billion-euro market ($14.3 billion), according to a survey funded by Pfizer. Report
> GlaxoSmithKline's India unit is set to increase its field sales force and introduce several products, including patent-protected ones, over the next 12-18 months. Report
> Abbott said it has completed its $6.2 billion acquisition of Belgium-based Solvay Pharmaceuticals. Release
> Teva Pharmaceutical Industries said its chairman, Eli Hurvitz, will take a 3-week leave of absence to recuperate from treatment for an illness. Report
> Hospira announced that the standard review period required for its bid to acquire India-based Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals had expired with no action by the Federal Trade Commission. Report
Biotech News
@FierceBiotech: Melnyk's Trimel BioPharma mulls financing options: IPO possible. Article | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: I have to wonder which lawmakers are thinking about quitting if they can get Billy Tauzin's job. $2M a year is quite a temptation. Follow @JohnCFierce
> Rigel has scored a blockbuster $1.24B pact with AstraZeneca for rhumatoid arthritis drug R788. Rigel report
> Sam Waksal is back, and he's raising $50M for a new biotech venture. Article
> Affymax is gearing up for the approval of its blockbuster alternative to Epogen. Affymax item
Pharma Manufacturing News
> The Alliance for a Stronger FDA is "disappointed" in the president's 23 percent budget increase request and will seek to increase it from tax revenues, which are a shrinking source of FDA funds. Report
> The recent FDA warning letter to Ohm Laboratories, in which the regulator calls "inadequate" the company's corrective measures to fix GMP violations, has left the company in a precarious position. Story
Biotech Research News
> A research team from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has identified a defective signaling pathway that contributes to the severity of cystic fibrosis. Article
> Nobel laureate Paul Nurse recently sat down with New Scientist to review the development of the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation, which he calls "one of the UK's most important biomedical research initiatives in a generation." Story
Biotech IT News
> Drugmakers are cozying up to IT companies to better make the case for their products. Report
> Health Decisions has added digital pens to its adaptive clinical trial arsenal. The contract researcher is equipping investigators with pen/paper technology from Anoto, based in Sweden. Article
And Finally... Allergan's Botox, given in the doses used to reduce facial wrinkles, may stop certain kinds of migraines that patients describe as crushing or "eye-popping" more than other types, a study found. Report