> Two tainted lots of propofol, a drug reportedly taken by Michael Jackson, have been recalled by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries for contamination, but there's no apparent link between the recall and the singer's death. Report
> Wyeth won its first marketing approval for a new version of its vaccine Prevnar, as the drug was cleared by regulators in Chile. Report
> Daiichi Sankyo said an Indian court has ordered it to suspend its planned open offer for shares in India's generic drug maker Zenotech Laboratories because of opposition by some stakeholders. Report
> Women who took hormone replacement therapy after menopause had a sharply increased risk of ovarian cancer, researchers in Denmark are reporting. Report
> The $155 billion health-care overhaul deal reached by hospitals and the Obama administration will reduce sales of medical-device makers, Johnson & Johnson CFO Dominic Caruso said. Report
> A former military doctor and Medtronic consultant at the center of a research scandal did not tell his medical school employer for a year about his Medtronic ties even as he was conducting company-sponsored research. Report
> Medtronic won regulatory approval in Europe for an implantable brain stimulator to treat patients with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. Report
> South Korea's Samsung Electronics plans to invest about 500 billion won ($389 million) in the biotech medicine business, a local internet news provider said. Report
> AstraZeneca pulled out of plans to take more than 60,000 square feet of space at British Land's Broadgate Tower in London and is instead in talks to move to Paddington. Report
Biotech News
> The UK's drug development industry is being boosted by a new government plan to allow innovative therapies to be put to use without first being vetted for cost-effectiveness by the dreaded National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. NICE will select therapies that qualify for a three-year fast access. Report
> Andreas Penk, the regional chief of Pfizer's European cancer business, says the company expects a ten-fold increase in cancer revenue by 2018, a huge increase from the $2.5 billion mark the pharma company posted last year. Report
> GlaxoSmithKline will devote $97 million into the research, development and access of new AIDS drugs for Africa. GlaxoSmithKline also provided a free license to Ziagen for the South African generic company Aspen.
> The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee overwhelmingly approved an amendment that would protect biotech developers from generic competition for 12 years. Report
> Miami-based Noven Pharmaceuticals is being snapped up by Japan's Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical for $430 million. The news was announced simultaneously with a release touting the positive data gathered in a mid-stage study for a new therapy to treat hot flashes. Report
Manufacturing News
> The year 2008 saw some $15 million in lobbying contributions from pharmaceutical manufacturers, with individual contributions about half that of political action committees. Lobbying news
> Singapore's manufacturing industry expanded in June, the second time in as many months, with a boost from pharma output. Singapore report
> Swiss drug maker Nycomed is planning an $84-million manufacturing plant in Russia, making it one of the first foreign manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Report
> Production management software and analytics software are two of the fastest growing automation technologies being deployed by pharmaceutical manufacturers. Report
> SAFC, a member of the Sigma-Aldrich group, has been certified and deemed proficient in the safe handling of potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Report
And Finally... Sixty-seven Air Force cadets have tested positive for swine flu and are being isolated at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Report