Valeant buys Zovirax rights for $300M; Pfizer spends $1.6B on merging IT systems;

 @FiercePharma: Upbeat Roche cuts Avastin forecast by 20 percent. News | Follow @FiercePharma

> Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX) has agreed to pay $300 million to GlaxoSmithKline for U.S. and Canadian rights to the antiviral cream Zovirax, not including formulations used in the eye. News

> Pfizer said it has spent a total of $1.6 billion (£972 million) in 2009 and 2010, on systems integration and IT consulting costs related to the Wyeth merger, with the lion's share of the spending in 2010, some $1 billion (£620 million). Report

> Botox maker Allergan reported lower-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings, hurt by spending and a higher tax rate, and issued cautious profit and sales forecasts for this year. Item

> Hospira posted fourth-quarter profit and sales well below analysts' projections, hurt by supply shortages and higher expenses, and its shares fell more than 9 percent in early trading. Article

> Takeda Pharmaceutical reported a drop in nine-month profit for the first time in two years as sales of its Prevacid heartburn pill were eroded by copycat drugs and the stronger yen pared the value of overseas revenue. Article

> Shire said it received Health Canada approval for Vyvanse to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescents and adults. Story

Biotech News

@FierceBiotech: Lilly, BMS halt new enrollment in Ph3 lung cancer study. Item | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: FYI, our Boston breakfast was so successful we're doing four this year, starting April 13 in SF. Topic: Designing the perfect Phase II study. | Follow @JohnCFierce

> Report: Sanofi-Genzyme merger deal may be days away. Article

> Pacira slashes IPO price while AcelRx braves a chilly market. News

> Merck stands by R&D plans, writes off $1.7B on vorapaxar snafu. Story

> Optimer antibiotic cuts C diff relapse rate. Report

> Ocular Therapeutix garners $14M for mid-stage eye drug trials. News

> Departing Pfizer researchers will get shriveled severance checks. Item

Vaccines News

> Inovio positive DNA vax results published. Story 

> Finnish health authorities see link between Pandemrix and narcolepsy. News

> Study: H1N1 vax not linked to Guillain-Barre. Report 

> Vaccines may prevent certain childhood cancers. Item 

> Researchers test inhalable measels vax. Article

Manufacturing News

> SPL's heparin response earns FDA warning. Report

> Watch for e-packaging headway in 2011. Item

> McKinsey: Take another look at QbD, PPD. News

> Sproxil, IBM team for market analytics. Article

> Genzyme quick to sell Swiss unit. Story

> In CA, good bioproduction news balances bad. Item

And Finally... The Obama Administration is examining whether the new health care law can be used to require insurance plans to offer contraceptives and other family planning services to women free of charge. Report