> Merck and Schering-Plough are offering to disclose new information about their planned tie-up to settle a class action lawsuit by shareholders. Release
> AstraZeneca's MedImmune unit told federal vaccine advisers that it is getting a better vaccine yield than other companies making shots against the H1N1 swine flu virus. Report
> Euro zone member Slovenia will buy a total of 1.3 million units of H1N1 flu vaccine from Britain's GlaxoSmithKline and Switzerland's Novartis. Report
> Teva and Johnson & Johnson settled their patent fight over Ortho-TriCyclen Lo in a deal giving Teva a license to sell its version of the contraceptive drug by December 31, 2015. Release
> European regulators recommended expanded use of Merck's Isentress for first-line treatment of HIV as well as in patients who've previously used other drugs. Release
> FDA approved a new indication for Eli Lilly's Forteo, as a treatment for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Report
> St. Jude Medical sold $1.2 billion in a two-part debt sale, said IFR, a Thomson Reuters service. Report
Biotech News
> Racing to beat Novartis to the world's biggest drug markets with a new oral therapy for multiple sclerosis, Merck KGaA has filed for regulatory approval of cladribine in Europe and plans to file in the U.S. later this quarter. Report
> Eli Lilly isn't wasting any time capitalizing on its $6.5 billion buyout of ImClone Systems. Lilly says it is planning new human trials on up to eight of the ImClone cancer programs it acquired, including three late-stage trials. Report
> Two months after winning regulatory approval for a new schizophrenia therapy, analysts say that Vanda Pharmaceuticals is too weak financially to launch the drug by itself, leaving the developer ripe for a buyout offer. Report
> Hemispherx had investors excited this week with the news of a analyst call on the company's flu initiatives, but the upward trend didn't last long. After skyrocketing more than 55 percent earlier this week, the company's stock dropped 27 percent this morning and is now trading at $2.50. What's causing all of this movement? Report
> Anxious to beef up its pipeline, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced late Wednesday that it had struck a deal to buy Medarex for $2.4 billion. But the dealmakers note that the $300 million on Medarex's books will reduce the cost of the deal to $2.1 billion. Report
And Finally... A high intake of polyunsaturated fat--specifically linoleic acid--in the diet, while good for the heart, may lead to inflammatory bowel disease, say researchers. Report