@FiercePharma: HHS gives pharma the all-clear on copay assistance for Obamacare patients. Article | Follow @FiercePharma
@EricPFierce: Merck layoffs roll through to West Point, PA, plant with 500 jobs slated to go over X-mas holidays. News | Follow @EricPFierce
@CarlyHFierce: ICYMI: FDA helps generic drugmakers get copies of Glaxo's Advair to market. More | Follow @CarlyHFierce
> Novo Nordisk ($NVO) won U.S. approval for two insulin pens that use its new dosing system FlexTouch to administer diabetes treatments Novolog and Levemir. Release | Report
> GlaxoSmithKline's ($GSK) Votrient promotions, which had come under question in the U.K. after a complaint from rival drugmaker Pfizer ($PFE), were cleared of suspicion by the group that enforces pharma's marketing code there. Report
> JPMorgan downgraded Teva Pharmaceutical Industries ($TEVA) for the second time in two months on the departure of CEO Jeremy Levin and the "myriad of uncertainties" facing the company. Report
> Hedge fund Baupost Group has accumulated a 27.55% stake in Idenix Pharmaceuticals ($IDIX), making it the largest shareholder, with Novartis ($NVS) close behind at 25%. Report
> AstraZeneca ($AZN) made LinkedIn's list of the world's most sought-after employers. Report
> Brazil's Hypermarcas topped profit estimates on faster-than-expected sales growth and a more favorable tax rate. Report
> The U.S. Supreme Court decided not to review an Oklahoma law that put tight restrictions on the abortion-inducing drug RU-486. Report
@FierceMedDev: ICYMI: OrbiMed kicks off $735M VC fund with device and Dx companies in mind. Story | Follow @FierceMedDev
@MarkHFierce: The U.K. is banning the use of all-metal hips at NHS hospitals. More | Follow @MarkHFierce
@MichaelGFierce: ICYMI: IBM uses hydrogel to prolong delivery of Roche's Herceptin. More from FierceDrugDelivery | Follow @MichaelGFierce
> Insulin pump maker Tandem craves $123M in up-sized IPO. News
> Terumo buys into Turkey's blood collection market. More
> Illumina, Natera, Ariosa ink deals with CA's prenatal Dx program. Item
Biotech News
@FierceBiotech: Roche heralds its return to the antibiotics field with $560M Polyphor deal. More | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: ICYMI over the weekend: Merck's next-gen HPV vaccine looks good in PhIII, but sales may disappoint. Story | Follow @JohnCFierce
@DamianFierce: Oral testosterone developer Lipocine swings for $11.5M in S-1. More | Follow @DamianFierce
@EmilyMFierce: ICYMI: Key HIV protein structure revealed, paving way for new HIV/AIDS vaccine efforts. Story | Follow @EmilyMFierce
> Therapeutic vaccine upstart Hookipa snags $27M round to fund PhI move. News
> Merck's 'breakthrough' hep C combo plays catch-up with promising PhII results. More
> Bristol-Myers scores first marketing application for all-oral hep C combo. Story
CRO News
> Venn grabs German CRO, expands Euro footprint. Item
> Charles River bucks trend with spike in preclinical sales. Story
> Covance ups expectations thanks to booming lab biz. News
> Quintiles hikes income outlook as contracts pour in. More
> InVentiv grabs Catalina Health with eye on patient adherence. Report
> Parexel's stock plunges despite spikes in revenue, profit. Article
Biotech IT News
> NuMedii taps Thomson Reuters for data to power digital discovery model. More
> GoBalto rolls out version 2.0 of Tracker software. Item
> Rhenovia creates simulation of epilepsy biology. Story
> Rare disease dictionary gives bioinformatics databases a shared language. Article
> FDA working on drug shortages smartphone app. News
> Illumina to buy bioinformatics business NextBio. Report
And Finally... Should the government reclassify marijuana so that researchers have more freedom to gauge the medical worth of its active compounds? Report (sub. req.)