Genzyme starts layoff push with 392 cuts; Wisconsin patients sue over Plavix side effects;

@FiercePharma: Genentech tries rebates to goose Lucentis use. Article | Follow @FiercePharma

> Genzyme says it cut 392 positions to start the first phase of a plan to eliminate 1,000 by the end of next year. Report

> Makers of the popular pain reliever Plavix face a Wisconsin lawsuit filed by 11 people who claim they suffered strokes and heart attacks after taking the drug. Report

> Four months into its launch, GW Pharmaceuticals' pioneering cannabis drug Sativex is getting a mixed reception from healthcare authorities across Britain, its first European market. Report

> Units of Japan's Astellas Pharma sued Indian generic-drug maker Glenmark Pharmaceuticals for patent infringement, asking a federal judge in Delaware to block copies of the eczema treatment Locoid Lipocream until 2014. Report

> The U.K.'s cost-effectiveness watchdog is sticking with its decision that Celgene's Vidaza is too expensive for use on the National Health Service to treat patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. Report

> Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is appealing an Ontario Securities Commission ruling that found he acted contrary to the public interest in 2003 while he was CEO of Biovail. Report

> Amylin Pharmaceuticals said Thursday it won't achieve its goal of becoming profitable by the end of the year as the San Diego drugmaker absorbs the financial consequences of having its weekly injectable diabetes treatment rejected by regulators. Report

> Cambrex says it acquired a 51 percent stake in Zenara Pharma, a Hyderabad, India-based pharmaceutical company focused on the formulation of final dosage form products, for $20 million. Report

> Biocon, India's biggest biotechnology company, may spin off its Syngene contract research unit as early as May 2012, Chairman Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said. Report

Biotech News

 @FierceBiotech: CRO Charles River cuts 300 more jobs. News | Follow @FierceBiotech

> Celtaxsys looks to raise $10M. Article

> Clinical trial fraud accusations rock MannKind stock. Report

> Zogenix aims for $78M with IPO. Story

> Plexxikon, Roche melanoma drug shows promise in trial. News

And Finally... Math challenged? Maybe you need an electric shock. Report