> French pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi-Aventis has secured a 4 billion euro ($5.97 billion) loan extension, banking sources said. Report
> Cephalon was notified that Teva Pharmaceuticals has filed an application with the FDA seeking approval to market a generic version of Cephalon's Nuvigil. Report
> General Electric and Eli Lilly said they developed a way to identify 25 proteins in tumors that will help match cancer patients with treatments. GE article
> Now that Pfizer agreed to pay $2.3 billion for illegally marketing several drugs, one Congresswoman wants to punish stop such behavior--at least among those that do business with the federal government. Report
> Congressional investigators say the FDA pays so little attention to its responsibilities to ban researchers convicted of fraud and is so disorganized about carrying them out that its actions take an average of four years to complete. Report
Biotech News
> Japan's Dainippon Sumitomo has completed its $2.6 billion deal to buy Sepracor and has set aside a tidy package of $11 million for CEO Adrian Adams (photo). Article
> Switzerland's Evolva has landed a new venture round of $28 million, which will be put to use to advance a pipeline soon to be fattened from its planned merger with Arpida. Report
> Amgen has opened up about the FDA delay it faces on denosumab, and analysts seem to agree with the biotech's CEO that the company can handle requests for new information without seriously damaging its near-term revenue prospects. Amgen news
Vaccine News
> Swine flu may be sickening millions of people, but it's adding a healthy hue to the financial performance of the vaccine industry. Report
> There's been a considerable amount of speculation about which of the new flu vaccine and antiviral technologies now in the clinic will benefit from the swine flu outbreak and the outcry it has provoked for better medicines. Most of that speculation has centered on future pandemics--but BioCryst may not have to wait that long. Report
> One of the reasons vaccine manufacturers have been enjoying a boom in business comes from the huge push to vaccinate children around the world. Report
> The campaign to inoculate the American population against swine flu is getting off to a troubled start. Article
> The government experts sitting on the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices won't be going to bat for Merck when it comes to the use of Gardasil for young men and boys. Report
And Finally... Too much light at night can lead to symptoms of depression, according to a new study in mice. Report