> At the request of generics maker Apotex, U.S. patent officials will review the patent governing Plavix, the clot-buster sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis. Report
> AstraZeneca applied for Canadian approval of FluMist, its nasal-spray flu vaccine developed by subsidiary MedImmune. Report
> Bristol-Myers Squibb won a judge's preliminary approval of a $125 million settlement of a shareholder lawsuit claiming the drugmaker hid information about its effort to settle a patent lawsuit with Apotex. Report
> The WHO said it was up to national regulatory authorities to decide whether to extend the shelf life of the flu drug Tamiflu by two years, as Roche has recommended. Report
> Pressure is building on the major U.S. search engines to stop showing advertising from overseas drug sellers that deliver potentially counterfeit and dangerous products to consumers in violation of federal laws. Report
> Eastern Europe's drug market is growing fast--it's predicted to reach $41.4 billion by 2014--but complicated regulations may make it tough for drugmakers to reap rewards from it. Report
> Johnson & Johnson won an FDA advisory panel's support for a novel hip replacement designed to provide more durability than current implants. Report
> Perrigo's API business posted a $5.4 million operating loss in Q4 because of restructuring charges but it believes vertically integrating production, and opening a site in India, will help in coming years. Report
> Phoenix Group, the German drug wholesaler started by the late billionaire Adolf Merckle, is considering an initial public offering as well as a sale, two people familiar with the plans said. Report
> New York State is requiring tens of thousands of health care workers across the state to be vaccinated for flu, amid fears that swine flu will return in the fall. Report
> Fewer U.S. patients, especially children, are getting inappropriate antibiotics for coughs, colds and ear infections. Report
Biotech News
> Emeryville, CA-based Adamas Pharmaceuticals has scooped up $40 million in Series D cash to fund a trio of development programs--including work on a combo antiviral therapy for the flu--which has swiftly become one of the hottest fields in biomedical research. Report
> With the ink still drying on a new licensing pact and the FDA preparing to make a final decision on its insomnia drug, Transcept Pharmaceuticals says its development activities have been so successful it can now lay off about 30 percent of its employees. Report
> Shares of Denmark's Genmab slid 27 percent as investors reacted to the news that its lead cancer drug delivered disappointing data in a late-stage trial for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Report
Manufacturing News
> Biosante just announced that its BioVant adjuvant increased the protective effect of vaccines for multiple flu strains, including a potential swine flu vaccine, yielding 100 percent protection from symptoms of illness. Report
> Following the lead of freight carriers and logistics providers, IT vendors are targeting the growing need for cold storage and transport. In at least one case, vendors are delivering a one-two punch in the form of cold chain management coupled with track-and-trace systems for establishing drug pedigree. Report
> Netherlands-based drug-delivery specialist OctoPlus will perform formulation development and clinical manufacturing for an unnamed mid-sized European drug maker. The work encompasses three products, now in Phase I to Phase III clinical development. Report
And Finally... Older athletes raise anew the question of what constitutes a natural body for people who are at an age when drugs are a part of life. Report