> Even after India raised concerns with EU officials, its generics companies continue to see their drug shipments hung up in--even seized by--Dutch customs. Report
> Pfizer spent more than $6.1 million lobbying the government in the first quarter on health care reform, drug coverage provided under various government programs and other matters, according to a recent disclosure. Report
> Endo Pharmaceuticals granted Valeant Pharmaceuticals an exclusive license to market the pain drug Opana in Canada, Australia and New Zealand for an upfront payment of C$2 million ($1.8 million). Report
> Astellas Pharma, Japan's second-largest drugmaker, plans to retire 28 million treasury shares later this month, and to increase its annual stock dividend by 5 yen in fiscal 2009, the Nikkei business daily said. Report
> A businessman who made a multi-million pound fortune from selling fake and unlicensed Viagra-style drugs on the internet is facing a new life in jail. Report
> MDRNA said the FDA approved its version of the Novartis nasal spray Miacalcin used to treat osteoporosis, adding that its partner Par Pharmaceutical had launched the product. Report
> Sinovac Biotech, a vaccine-focused company in China, started efforts to manufacture A/H1N1 influenza vaccine for human use on Monday, after it received the flu strain samples from the WHO, reported Beijing News. Report
> DxNA said it has submitted a request to the FDA for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its GeneSTAT pathogen platform, for the detection of the H1N1 virus. Release
> FDA warned consumers not to use skin products--including hand sanitizer--made by Clarcon because of high levels of disease-causing bacteria found during a recent inspection. Report
Biotech News
> Faced with a perfect political storm brought on by low poll numbers and declining tax revenue, New York Gov. David Paterson has come up with a novel plan aimed at ginning some big bucks for biomedical research. The governor is setting aside $100 million for research institutions in the state, and he wants to leverage each dime in that budget for $1 in federal stimulus money. Report
> Wooed by a new and potentially revolutionary approach to developing drugs, the venture arms of four of the world's biggest pharma companies have joined forces to back Aileron Therapeutics in a $40 million venture round. Report
> Australian vaccine maker CSL and Talecris Biotherapeutics have called a halt to a proposed $3.1 billion merger after running straight into a posse of U.S. antitrust regulators. Report
> With a blockbuster diabetes franchise hanging in the balance, Novo Nordisk touted new data over the weekend that shows its experimental therapy liraglutide bested a standard therapy after two years of dosing. Report
> Shares of Lundbeck took a bad hit this morning after the Copenhagen-based developer revealed that its experimental depression drug LuAA21004 failed to beat out a placebo at a low dose. Lundbeck report
IT News
> This is the time to negotiate steep discounts for traditional on-premise software, according to 60 percent of respondents to an IDC survey. Report
> 23andMe is one of nearly 100 companies worldwide that genetics services, and one of few that also let customers create a public profile and share their genetic data. Such data, however, necessarily applies to multiple people. And bioethicists advise that sharing genetic information online raises a host of ethical questions, including issues of privacy and consent. Report
Research News
> The Max Planck Society has recruited a Nobel Prize-winning scientist to become the science director of its new research center in Palm Beach County, Florida. Report
> Scientists exploring ways to significantly increase our longevity have been focused on the insulin-signaling pathway. Deactivating a gene in the pathway can extend the lives of animals, probably for the same reasons that extreme low-calorie diets produce a similar effect, reports the New York Times. Report
And Finally... Greek wholesalers have guaranteed their national drugs supply chain is counterfeit-free as they fight against big pharma's direct-to-pharmacy delivery models. Report