Millennium warns docs on Velcade dosage; Lilly, Amylin shares rise on Byetta hope;

> Millennium Pharmaceuticals is warning doctors to lower the dosage of its blood-cancer drug Velcade in patients with moderate-to-severe liver problems. Report

> Shares of Eli Lilly and Amylin Pharmaceutical--Lilly's San Diego-based partner on diabetes treatment Byetta--moved higher Tuesday after the FDA approval of Novo Nordisk's once-daily injection gave hope that the OK could come soon for once-weekly Byetta. Report

> Gilead Sciences rose the most in nine months in New York trading after earnings surged--beating analysts' estimates--on higher demand for AIDS drugs. Report

> McKesson, the sole distributor of swine flu vaccine for the U.S. government, increased its full-year earnings forecast and reported third-quarter profit that beat analysts' estimates. Report

> Democrats retreated from a quick push to pass President Obama's healthcare overhaul, lacking a workable strategy to salvage the sweeping legislation that has consumed Congress for more than a year. Report

> The top House Democrat says giving up on a healthcare bill isn't an option; "we will have something," Nancy Pelosi insists. Report

 Biotech News

> Vertex hired more than 200 people last year as its ranks swelled to nearly 1,300--and the Cambridge, MA-based company believes it's on track to create the next Big Biotech outfit. Report

> Officials in the U.K. are planning to build 30 new labs in hopes of attracting hundreds of research scientists to the area around Norfolk. Story

> Dogged by disappointing data and daunted by the commercial prospects of their experimental drug for enlarged prostate, Spectrum Pharmaceuticals announced this morning that it is shelving its program for ozarelix and will use the estimated $40 million in savings for its other pipeline prospects. Report

> With the approval of Novo's diabetes drug Victoza yesterday, the analysts began to go into overdrive covering the implications for other biotech companies in the field. Story

> Juvaris BioTherapeutics announced this morning that an unnamed corporate investor has jumped in, spurring a second close of a Series B that could total $25 million. Report

> A group of biotech veterans which includes the prolific Corey Goodman (pictured) has come together to launch a new life sciences venture firm dubbed VenBio. Report

Pharma Manufacturing News

> Manufacturing missteps are behind the near quadrupling of drug and medical device recalls in the U.K. between 2004 and 2008. Story

> An employee of the waste-disposal company used by Sanofi-Aventis at a plant in Kansas City, MO, pleaded guilty last week to the theft of 1,000 pounds of pseudoephedrine byproduct over the course of a decade. Report

> Inadequate process control, lack of master production and control records, and inadequate details on training intended to prevent future GMP violations have combined to earn Sunrise Pharmaceutical an FDA warning letter. Item

> The importation of food, despite occasional problems, doesn't raise the same level of objection that drug importation does. Could part of the reason be that the highly automated food industry remains ahead of the pharmaceutical industry in terms of efficiencies? Report

> The Millipore/Roka Bioscience collaboration reported earlier is bearing additional fruit: A tool for early detection of mycoplasma contamination in bioprocessing. Story

> Batch processes are easy, so you can't necessarily blame API makers for using them. But a little quality-by-design creativity, coupled with an understanding of API physical properties and reaction kinetics, can lead to continuous manufacturing processes that improve the bottom line and establish leadership. Item

> Pharmarama has been cleared by state officials to operate a pharmaceutical cold-chain and ambient storage and distribution facility in suburban Boston. Announcement

And Finally... Hacking into cells' communications system could lead to new drugs to tackle neurodegeneration. Report