Third firm supports Biogen against Icahn; Genentech, MedImmune settle basic-patent dispute

> A third major shareholder advisory firm recommended stockholders reject billionaire investor Carl Icahn’s slate of nominees to Biogen Idec's board, reducing his odds of success. Report | Report

> Biotech giant Genentech said it settled a dispute with MedImmune over a patent covering basic methods for producing biotechnology products; the company wouldn't discuss settlement terms. Report

> Novartis announced that TRC Capital Corporation, a private Canadian investment company, is offering to buy up to 2 million of its ADS shares for $51.50 a share, saying the price represents a 4.4 percent discount to its closing price the day before the offer started. Report

> Merck shares hit their lowest point in nearly two years--$35.43--on Wednesday as Big Pharma sank in unison with the broader market on continued economic concerns and rising oil prices; Merck rebounded somewhat to close at $35.60. Report

> Consumers became the major source of adverse event reports to the FDA in 2006, replacing physicians; last year consumers reported 174,216 adverse events--53,216 more than those reported by doctors. Report

> Denmark's Symphogen has inked a $330 million collaboration deal with Genentech to discover new antibodies for three infectious disease targets. Deal report

> Concluding that a late-stage trial of its experimental therapy to prevent bleeding in trauma patients was headed to a likely failure, Novo Nordisk discontinued the study of NovoSeven. Report

> Baxter International says that a human trial of its Celvapan bird flu vaccine demonstrated that it spurred an immune response against three strains of the lethal virus. This is the first time that researchers have developed a flu vaccine using a virus grown in cell cultures rather than eggs. Baxter report

> Celldex Therapeutics has struck a deal to use 3M's toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist compounds--useful as vaccine adjuvants--for a slate of new oncology vaccines in development. Report

> GlaxoSmithKline is touting new, late-stage data that demonstrates how its experimental pediatric vaccine Synflorix effectively protects children from pneumococcal disease. Vaccine report

> Iomai has racked up more positive data for its vaccine patch to prevent traveler's diarrhea. Iomai report

And Finally... A recent study projects a new wave of globalization in biopharma. Report