Elder to hire 1,000 reps for rural-India sales effort; Shire narrows U.K. distribution for some products;

  @FiercePharma: Wall Street sees Astellas nabbing OSI for up to $4.3 billion. Article | Follow @FiercePharma   

 The H1N1 flu pandemic is as severe as influenza pandemics in 1957 and 1968 and remains a threat to healthy young adults, John Mackenzie, the Australian who heads the World Health Organization's Emergency Committee, said Wednesday. Report

> India's Elder Pharmaceuticals aims to recruit 1,000 new sales and marketing employees over the next two months to launch a push into untapped rural markets. Report

> Shire has unveiled plans to use three exclusive wholesalers in the U.K. for such products as the bone drug Fosrenol and Alzheimer's remedy Reminyl. Report

> Indian drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories is voluntarily recalling at the retail level two lots of an oral suspension form of an antibiotic containing amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium. Report

> Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin approved a deal to sell a private insulin plant in the country to Sanofi-Aventis. Report

> A federal judge in Delaware has refused to dismiss a lawsuit accusing AstraZeneca of anticompetitive practices involving the heart drug Toprol-XL. Report

> Shares of Santarus slumped a day after the drug maker disclosed a U.S. federal judge ruled five patents for stomach drug Zegerid are invalid. Report

> Sigma Pharmaceuticals, the Australian drugmaker that lost half its market value after reporting a record loss last month, says CEO Elmo de Alwis has resigned. Report

Biotech News

  @FierceBiotech: Positive MS data may thwart Icahn's plans for Genzyme. Story | Follow @FierceBiotech    

 @JohnCFierce: Agios gets $130M upfront in Celgene deal--now that's real money. | Follow @JohnCFierce

> Struggling Cell Therapeutics chops 36 workers. Story

> Third Rock raising $400 million venture fund for biotech "game-changers." Article

> Agios scores $130 million upfront from ambitious Celgene pact. Report

> Cambridge startup lands $25 million round for genetic sequencing play. Story

Manufacturing News

> Pfizer, GSK present at FDA's continuous processing symposium. Report

> Pall bullish on disposable filters, bioreactors. News

> Cold-chain solutions a must by 2014. Report

> Pharma industry, J&J drop in public opinion poll. Story

Vaccines News

> Oral vax provides big assist to patients with severe COPD. Item

> Personalized cancer vax heads to trial. Report

> HPV vax may prevent other cancers. News

> Dynavax shares spike on promising Heplisav data. Story

 And Finally... Do estrogen's effects on women's minds and bodies depend heavily upon when they first start taking it? Report