Roche takes its case to Illumina shareholders; Bayer drug sales to help offset plastics weakness;

@FiercePharma: Pfizer buys Emergen-C maker Alacer. 500m packets of vitamin powder a year for $PFE's "supplement portfolio"--Bloomberg. Item | Follow @FiercePharma

> Roche ($RHHBY) made a pitch to shareholders of the gene-sequencing firm Illumina as it extended its buyout at the same price--$44.50 per share--the target company's board has deemed "grossly inadequate." Roche release | Report

> Bayer's pharma sales are expected to help offset weakness in its plastics business this year, lifting overall company revenues by 3%, with over-the-counter drugs expected to grow faster than new prescription meds. News

> Endo Pharmaceuticals ($ENDP) said supply constraints on its pain drug Opana ER would ease soon, as manufacturer Novartis ($NVS) brings additional capacity online at the Nebraska plant that had been closed for corrections. Item

> Jazz Pharmaceuticals' stock jumped on news that its Xyrem narcolepsy drug boosted sales by 67%, mostly on price increases, and analysts expect more price hikes to come. Article

> Biogen Idec ($BIIB) said the FDA approved its new injection-pen delivery system for its multiple sclerosis treatment Avonex. Story

> The market for cancer drugs will hit $75 billion this year, visiongain estimates, and revenues will continue to grow significantly over the next decade as more targeted drugs are developed and demand in emerging markets swells. Report

> U.K. regulators called for lifelong monitoring of patients with all-metal hip implants--made by Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ), Zimmer ($ZMH), Stryker ($SYK) and others--which have proven to be risky for some people. Item

> Drugs newly adopted for bladder cancer treatment should trigger fast growth of sales in that market, led by treatments from Allergan/Spectrum Pharmaceuticals and Celgene. Report

Biotech News

@FierceBiotech: Targeting the NOX2/ROS pathway: Cincinnati Children's debuts new anti-inflammatory drug class--via @MarkHFierce. Story | Follow @FierceBiotech

 @JohnCFierce: BMS amps up academic partnerships with PhII project at Duke #biotech. Item | Follow @JohnCFierce

@RyanMFierce: Fake Avastin ingredients: salt, starch, chemicals and a big dose of pure evil. Article | Follow @RyanMFierce

@FierceMedDev: OPTIMEDICA starts U.S. shipments of CATALYS precision laser system,1st patients treated at Mann Eye Institute, Houston. Release | Follow @FierceMedDev

> Forest, Gedeon trumpet fresh Phase III successes for antipsychotic pill. Article

> Biogen Idec races to FDA and EMA with a blockbuster app for BG-12. News

> Can an herbal medicine provide the key to defeating Alzheimer's? Story

> The dream of human immortality tonics lives on--in worms. More

> Bayer CEO Dekkers says price cuts threaten R&D. Item

Manufacturing News

> Cargo theft in Brazil violent and growing. Article

> Lilly outlines $442M Ireland plans. Story

> Birth control redux: Glenmark Generics pulling mixed-up pills. News

> FDA device regulator calls for more authority. More

Research News

> Rats 'shoot blanks' with U Kansas male contraceptive. More

> MGH's Tilly morphs human ovarian stem cells into eggs. News

> Heart muscle-cell gel can treat cardiac damage, maybe carry drugs. Article

> Brain switch turns 'on' when danger hits, 'off' when threat passes. Item

And Finally... Forget American-style team-building. Chinese drugmakers apparently go for military marching drills--for sales people. Report