Novartis to ship 100 jobs to India; FDA highlights wrinkle-filler side effects

> Novartis has decided to make Hyderabad, India, its back office hub for data management in clinical research and financial service segments, and plans to shift 100 jobs there. Report

> An FDA advisory panel said that a new, proposed formulation of an Alpharma morphine pill was a "small advance" that could be less susceptible to abuse and misuse than similar pain pills on the market. Report

> An ugly side of the beauty business emerged today, as an FDA briefing listed 930 reports of side effects for injectable wrinkle fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm. Report

> Mylan won the FDA's tentative nod for its generic capsule version of Wyeth's antidepressant Effexor XR, which comes off patent in 2010. Report

> Progenics announced that marketing partner Wyeth won Australian approval for Relistor to treat opioid-induced constipation in patients with advanced illness who are receiving palliative care. Release

> Medical device maker and diversified health care company Covidien said Monday its fiscal 2008 fourth-quarter profit surged on higher sales, a weaker U.S. dollar and new products, but the company provided a weak outlook for the next year. Release l Report

> On the heels of its buyout of pharmaceutical company Satvik Limited, India's Lifeline Industries has earmarked $50 million for acquisitions and set its sights on two more Hyderabad companies. Report

> Biotechnology company United Therapeutics said an oral sustained-release version of its IV hypertension drug Remodulin failed a late-stage study. Release l Report

> Beximco Pharmaceuticals, Bangladesh's largest pharmaceutical exporter, said it received approval to begin shipping products into Persian Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Report

> Endo Pharmaceuticals has accepted UBS AG's settlement offer relating to auction rate securities purchased by Endo from the bank's affiliates. Release

> Dublin-based Icon is forking over $35 million for New York's Prevalere, a provider of bioanalytical and immunoassay laboratory services. Report

> Valeant Pharmaceuticals announced that it will purchase Austraila's DermaTech for $12.5 million (AU$19 million). DermaTech develops dermatology products that are marketed throughout Australia and overseas. Report

> As part of its ongoing efforts to restructure and consolidate operations, Neurogen announced it will be selling some of its non-core assets for $9 million. Report

> Last week was certainly a week for layoff news. The latest offering is from Cambridge, MA-based Javelin Pharmaceuticals, which is reducing its workforce by 15 percent. The company had 44 full-time employees but will now employ 37. Report

And Finally... Merck's Gardasil vaccine against the human papillomavirus won the pharmaceutical industry's equivalent of the Nobel Prize, the biennial International Prix Galien. Report