> Consumer advocates in New York state are asking the legislature to ban drug-company gifts to doctors, except for drug samples and gifts worth $50 or less. Release
> GlaxoSmithKline may not target the U.S. with its pediatric vaccine Synflorix, but choose to launch a different vaccine in that market, CEO Andrew Witty (photo) said. Report
> JN International has agreed to buy a vaccine research and production facility from Biocor, a subsidiary of Pfizer, in Omaha, Nebraska. Report
> Schering-Plough plans to invest $30 million in its research facility in Newhouse, Scotland, which focuses on central nervous system R&D. Report
> Northern Ireland's Almac plans to create up to 100 jobs at is Craigavon headquarters operations. Report
> FDA alerted pharmacists and consumers about an expanded recall of Ethex Corp.'s generic drugs, which may have been manufactured in non-compliant processes. Report
> Massachusetts businessman Phillip T. Ragon announced today that he is donating $100 million to create a new research institute that will be devoted to discovering an effective AIDS vaccine. Ragon is contributing $10 million a year for 10 years to fund work that will draw together top scientists from Harvard, MIT and Mass. General. Report
> Bill Gates employed a small swarm of mosquitoes to help him spread the message on the need for a new malaria vaccine. Speaking to the Technology, Entertainment, Design Conference, well known for its high-profile group of attendees, Gates said that "malaria is spread by mosquitoes," and released a glass full of the pesky critters. Report
> Device maker St. Jude Medical got the FDA nod to market a system used to implant cardiac devices. Report
> Millipore, a maker of membranes for sterilizing and filtering antibiotics and beverages, saw fourth-quarter profit fall 26 percent on lower revenues and a series of charges. Report
> Just weeks after putting itself up for sale, CRO PharmaNet has agreed to merge with affiliates of private equity group JLL Partners. JLL will pay $5 a share for all outstanding shares of PharmaNet, which values the company's stock at approximately $100 million. Report
> Dyax has taken a big step toward gaining FDA approval on its first drug. An expert committee narrowly voted to recommend the use of ecallantide--DX-88--for acute attacks of hereditary angioedema. The drug squeaked through on a vote of six to five in favor, with two abstentions. Report
> Canada's Ambrilia says it has shuttered its operations in France and bid farewell to Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Bonabes de Rouge. The restructuring has reduced Ambrilia's staff to 15 inside its Montreal headquarters. Report
> Biogen has expanded its IP agreement with Dyax to include the discovery of additional antibody products identified using Dyax's proprietary drug discovery technology, phage display. Report
> It was a good news day at New Haven, CT-based Rib-X Pharmaceuticals. First, the company announced positive Phase II results from a Phase II clinical trial of delafloxacin (RX-3341) for complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI). Report
And Finally... Take two aspirin and forget about stomach cancer? A study has suggested that the humble drug could cut the risk by up to a third. Report