JAMA's DeAngelis to step aside; Court reinstates Pfizer HRT suits;

@FiercePharma: Pharma layoffs plummet to 255 in August. Article | Follow @FiercePharma

> Longtime JAMA editor Catherine DeAngelis will step down next year to rejoin Johns Hopkins, where she will develop a Center for Professionalism in Medicine and the Related Professions. Story

> The Superior Court of Pennsylvania decided that lawsuits filed by 14 women against Pfizer's Wyeth and Pharmacia units over links between breast cancer and hormone replacement therapies were incorrectly dismissed by a lower court; the ruling could restore as many as 1,000 mass tort lawsuits to the docket. Article

> Shares in Dendreon rose more than 6 percent after Medicare authorities scheduled a Nov. 17 meeting to consider coverage of the company's Provenge prostate-cancer treatment--and investors concluded the question of whether or not to pay for the therapy was not an issue. Report

> AstraZeneca won European Commission approval for Seroquel XR as an add-on treatment for major depressive disorder for patients who had not responded well to an existing antidepressant. News

> Merck and Canada's Cardiome Pharma say they have been granted marketing approval for the intravenous formulation of their heart drug Brinavess in the EU, Iceland and Norway. News

> Pfizer has launched a preemptive strike against generic drug manufacturer Mylan to protect Chantix, a drug that helps smokers kick the habit. Item

> Scientists studying the autoimmmune disease lupus have found that blood platelets are key in its development and say their findings in the lab suggest blood-thinning drugs may offer a new way to treat patients. Story

Biotech News

 @FierceBiotech: Pfizer buys FoldRx for rare disease division. Article| Follow @FierceBiotech

 @JohnCFierce: Celator grabs $20M Series D for cancer drug development. Article | Follow @JohnCFierce

> Orexigen and Takeda ink a billion-dollar pact on weight loss drug. News

> Cardiome shares jump after vernakalant OK triggers $30 million milestone. Story

> Antibiotic gets positive FDA staff assessment. News

> Nobel Prize-winner finds new path for Alzheimer's drug. Item

> Genzyme dickers over sales deals as Sanofi dangles. Report

Vaccines News

> Epidemiologists fear monkeypox outbreak could spread. Article

> Panels in U.S., U.K. issue opposite rulings in vax-autism cases. News

> NIAID awards $46.3 million in vax grants and contracts. Report

> Medicare's Provenge review comes into clearer focus. Article

Manufacturing News

> Haw Par warning accents pain patch limbo. Story

> Bionovo CMC plan for botanical gets FDA OK. Article

> Anesthesia drug drought hits prisons, people, pets. News

> Halozyme, Baxter to pitch FDA on Hylenex fixes. Item

> FDA opens kimono on agency performance. Report

> International troika drives biomanufacturing platforms. Article

And Finally... The 30-year-long search for a cure for AIDS, the world's deadliest viral infection, may get a renewed boost from an unlikely source: a little-used Merck cancer drug. Report