> Twenty plaintiffs have sued Johnson & Johnson and Walgreen over Levaquin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that has been linked to tendinitis and tendon rupture. Article
> A U.S. judge ruled that Pfizer's trademark had been infringed when a man towed a decommissioned missile around Manhattan emblazoned with the words "Viva Viagra," the slogan for Pfizer's blockbuster impotence drug. Article
> Phoenix Chemicals has bought a Scottish Shasun Pharma Solutions plant and says it may rehire some of the 80 employees laid off when the facility closed. Article
> Merck got the nod from European regulators for restricted first-line use of its diabetes treatment Januvia. Article
> Ista Pharmaceuticals won FDA approval for its Bepreve drop for itchy eyes from allergies. Article
> Care-Tech Laboratories agreed to pull antimicrobial drugs off shelves after the FDA said the products aren't approved for their intended use. Article
> German drug and chemical maker Merck KGaA bought Chinese pigment company Suzhou Taizhu Technology Development in a deal that gives it more clout in a fast-growing market. Article
Biotech News
> Shares of Opexa Therapeutics more than doubled this morning after the developer announced that 83 percent of all patients taking its therapeutic vaccine for multiple sclerosis had remained relapse-free for a year. Article
> In a major setback, Osiris Therapeutics announced this morning that preliminary results indicate that its stem cell therapy Prochymal failed both of its late-stage clinical trials. One analyst swiftly dubbed the preliminary results "horrible," and shares of the company swiftly plunged 52 percent. Article
> Headed into the long weekend last Friday, Biogen Idec unveiled a $356 million bid to buy Facet Biotech, which had already turned a cold shoulder to an earlier, and higher, offer last August. Article
Manufacturing News
> United Therapeutics has pulled out all the green stops in its recently completed facility in Research Triangle Park, NC. The hub-and-spoke building houses manufacturing at the core with R&D and administrative functions as spokes. Article
> GMP expert Lachman Consultants is overseeing production re-start at embattled specialty drug maker KV Pharmaceutical, which is preparing for an FDA inspection required before it can resume product shipments. Article
> Amsterdam-based SynCo Bio Partners has expanded its reach to Japan, where it will manufacture a live biotherapeutic for an emerging Japanese pharmaceutical company. Article
> Five strategies based on industry best practices can help pharma manufacturers improve forecast accuracy and manufacturing planning. Article
And Finally... A simple blood test may help doctors determine which patients need antibiotics, offering a way to combat overuse of the drugs. Article