FDA: Bayer's Aleve may be safer than rival pain meds; Moody's flags risk for Daiichi on Ranbaxy; Takeda rolls out diabetes drug in U.K.;

@FiercePharma: Endo Pharma is No. 10 on our list of 2013's largest pharma layoffs. Special Report | Follow @FiercePharma

@TracyStaton: Lilly announced 1,000 job cuts in 2013. 2014 is expected to be even bleaker. Report | Follow @TracyStaton

@EricPFierce: Pharma keeps whacking jobs, but not always because of the patent cliff. Report | Follow @EricPFierce

@CarlyHFierce: NICE consults again on decision to recommend new prostate cancer drug Xtandi from Astellas. Release | Follow @CarlyHFierce

> Bayer's painkiller Aleve may put patients at less risk of heart attacks and strokes than rival pain-relief drugs, including Pfizer's ($PFE) Celebrex and the over-the-counter remedy ibuprofen. Report

> Moody's concluded that the FDA's latest action against India-based Ranbaxy Laboratories amounts to a "credit negative" for its parent, Daiichi Sankyo, which put Ranbaxy at the center of its generic-drug strategy. Report

> The Japanese drugmaker Takeda launched its diabetes drug Vipidia (alogliptin) in the U.K. Report

> London's Daily Mail corrected a story that had alleged cost-effectiveness gatekeepers at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) had spent thousands of pounds on champagne. Report

> France's Ipsen posted an increase in sales, but its numbers still fell short of expectations after a shortage of its orphan drug Increlex in the U.S. Report

Medical Device News

@FierceMedDev: Federal judge clears path for failure-to-warn claims against St. Jude. Article | Follow @FierceMedDev

@MichaelGFierce: Artificial pancreas news: U.K. researchers unveil device, J&J snags Can. approval of closed-loop system. News | Follow @MichaelGFierce

@EmilyWFierce: Covidien gets Japanese stamp of approval for Tri-Staple technology. More | Follow @EmilyWFierce

@GalenMoore: Judge green-lights 5 lawsuits claiming St. Jude Medical failed to warn about Riata problems. Report  | Follow @GalenMoore

> Despite Medtronic's failure, ReCor sticks to its guns on hypertension. News

> Low-cost ventilator maker OneBreath pulls in $3M to expand in emerging markets. Item

> Shakeup at St. Jude: Cardio pres. Frank Callaghan to retire as units merge. More

Biotech News

@FierceBiotech: Neurotrope hires 3: a CMO and heads of commercial ops & regulatory affairs. Release | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: AstraZeneca adds a combo research pact to a flurry of new antibiotics deals. Coverage | Follow @JohnCFierce

@DamianFierce: Pfizer's R&D spend is $2.5B smaller than it was in 2011, but does smaller = more efficient? Story | Follow @DamianFierce

@EmilyMFierce: At least 103 million cases of childhood disease have been prevented by vaccines since 1924, new survey says. Blog post via Science News | Follow @EmilyMFierce

> Third Rock backs $14M round for Igenica's cancer-fighting antibodies. Article

> Indian clinical trials plummet 93% as local regs tighten up. Item

> NIH's Collins vows to tackle science's reproducibility problem. Story

Pharma Manufacturing News

> India has different attitudes about the standards at facilities targeted by the FDA. Story

> Actavis is selling a China plant as it unloads manufacturing capacity globally. Article

> Ranbaxy's repeat violation elicits swift FDA action. Piece

> GSK blames chickenpox vaccine shortage on plant problems. More

> Feds nab two men from Turkey in effort to counter counterfeits. News

> NextSource brings back Lomustine, the brain cancer drug that BMS stopped making. Item

Biotech Research News

> Genetic platform allows scientists to tap marine microbiota for drug discovery. Story

> Discovery links genes to excess belly fat. More

> Plant-based compound maintains memory against Alzheimer's in mice. Piece

> Researchers repair retinas in mice with virus-free stem cells. News

> Reengineered antibiotic gains ability to thwart drug-resistant TB strains. Article

> $3M initiative will focus on finding new drugs for Alzheimer's. Item

And Finally... Older people may have a harder time remembering because their minds are chock-full of data. Report (sub. req.)