> Ready to invest again? The Motley Fool says you might be wise to do your due diligence and then bank on Teva Pharmaceuticals, Mylan, ViroPharma and Celgene. Report
> According to Moody's Investors Services, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has a stable "Baa2" debt rating and stands behind its debt, to the tune of about $4 billion. Moody's also upgraded the credit facilities of Teva's newly purchased Barr Laboratories. Report
> Privately held specialty pharmaceutical company, Halo Pharmaceutical, has acquired Whippany Manufacturing's 200,000-foot facility from Abbott Laboratories. Release
> According to worstpills.org, 56 medications can interact with any of three popular erectile dysfunction medications, causing either altered effectiveness or dangerous interactions. Release
> German billionaire Adolf Merckle committed suicide, according to his family, in part due to extreme distress over his financial interests, which included generic drug company Ratiopharm International. Report
> Abbott has completed its purchase of Isis subsidiary, Ibis Biosciences, for a closing price of $175 million, plus previous expenditures, for a total of $215 million. Abbott will also make earn-out payments. Release
> Shering-Plough recently disclosed that it spent $500,000 lobbying on drug pricing, veterinary products and other issues, including patent reform, in the third quarter. Report
> Forma Therapeutics is shedding its cloak of secrecy, telling the Boston Globe that it has raised $25 million over the past year in venture capital, grants and loans. Report
> The same crisis afflicting Europe is likely to hit hard in the U.S. as well. Look for an "uptick" in the fortunes of the biotech industry during the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in early January, says biotech banker Steven Burrill. And then watch out for the slide. Report
> The Financial Times says that depressed values at biotech companies are pushing a groundswell of M&A moves at the world's Big Pharma companies. Buying a biotech company now looks a whole lot easier (and cheaper) than structuring complicated licensing pacts. Report
> Struggling Adventrx Pharmaceuticals says that it has cut more than half of its workers since the beginning of the fourth quarter last year as it scrambles to preserve cash. And it's also cut back on consulting and vendor services, which includes contract manufacturing work. Report
> In a bid to break out of its pain therapy niche, Endo Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay up to $637 million to acquire Indevus Pharmaceuticals. Indevus shareholders get $370 million of that now and up to $267 million more if a series of discovery and commercial milestones are hit. Report
> Lexington, MA-based Synta Pharmaceuticals and Roche have signed a licensing deal for preclinical anti-inflammatory compound, according to an SEC filing. Synta gets $25 million up front and up to $1 billion in milestone payments if the drug makes it to market. Report
> Wired has come up with its closely-watched list of top scientific breakthroughs of the past year, and the life sciences figure prominently on the top-10 countdown. Report
> The LA Times updates the global casualty list for bird flu, noting that new outbreaks are raising renewed fears of a pandemic. Report
> A group of Canadian scientists has developed new tests that can be used to distinguish between normal, healthy stem cells and cancer-causing stem cells. Report
And Finally... Fat chin? Kythera Biopharmaceuticals (which Amgen alumni founded) says it has developed a fat-blasting drug to reduce fat under the chin, and reports "clinically meaningful" and positive results from two phase II studies. Report