Merck to pay up to $10M to settle old Coppertone suit; S&P keeps Abbott on watch pre-spinoff;

Did Valeant bid too high for Medicis? Analysts cite flagging scripts for lead drug, Solodyn. More | Follow @FiercePharma

> Merck ($MRK) agreed to pay up to $10 million to settle an old class-action lawsuit over Coppertone sunscreen products, which it acquired along with Schering-Plough in their 2009 merger. Report

> As Abbott Laboratories ($ABT) prepares to spin off its pharma unit as a separate company, AbbVie, Standard & Poor's says it's keeping the company on CreditWatch, at least until details of the post-spinoff company come clear. Report

> In opening Eisai's new U.K. production facility, executives said it would be a springboard for moving the epilepsy treatment Fycompa into new markets such as Russia and Africa. Report

> Pfizer ($PFE) cut the price of Viagra in Thailand by up to 30% as generic companies prepare to launch their versions next week. Report

> Pfizer Healthy Partnership is enlisting pharmacists to encourage patients to take their drugs as directed. Report

> Older adults in the South are prescribed antibiotics more often than patients elsewhere, a study found, suggesting that the infection-fighters may be overused in that part of the country. Report

Medical Device News

 @FierceMedDev: EU proposes tougher medical device rules in light of breast implant scandal. More | Follow @FierceMedDev

 @DamianFierce: Smith & Nephew has issued a device failure warning for one of its all-metal hip implants. More | Follow @DamianFierce

> Mainstay Medical snags $20M for back pain device. More

> Custom Medical Specialties hit with Class I recall of surgical kits. News

> Stryker unleashes global recall of chest fluid pump device. Article

Biotech News

 @FierceBiotech: Tagging the lows: RNA biomarkers personalize depression treatment. More | Follow @FierceBiotech

 @RyanMFierce: Ouch. Cardiome doesn't have much to fall back on after this Afib program that Merck has dropped back in its lap. More | Follow @RyanMFierce

> Biogen races to FDA with positive PhIII data for hemophilia B drug. Article

> FDA seeks ways to boost antibacterial drug pipeline. Story

> Merck hands back heart-drug rights to struggling Cardiome. Item

Biomarkers News

> Marker picks out the right people for stroke therapy. More

> Genes power bowel cancer marker panel. News

> Cutting through the silence of heart disease. Article

Drug Delivery News

> Pulsing nanotubes pump out drugs. Story

> SkyePharma's Flutiform launches in Germany, Kyorin seeks OK in Japan. News

> Boston Scientific's stent opens blood vessels and European markets. Article

And Finally... Biologists discovered one way that biological clocks affect neuronal activity in the brain. Report