Watson to buy Teva drugs for $36M; Roche inks $50M deal for Memory Pharm

> Watson Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday it will pay $36 million for a portfolio of generic drugs from rival Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, including a diabetes drug and an antidepressant, as that company closes its buyout of Barr Pharmaceuticals. Report

> Memory Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday Swiss drug developer Roche will buy the biotech company for about $50 million, in a move to bulk up its development of potential Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia treatments. Roche release l Report

> Russian regulators have approved Zeltia's Yondelis (trabectedin) for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma in adults; the drug will be marketed in that country by partner Ortho Biotech. Release

> With U.S. scientists poised for a resurgence in embryonic stem cell work, British researchers are warning that the U.K. could lose its pole position in the field. Report

> A team of scientists at the University of Copenhagen has advanced new technology for developing vaccines that may revolutionize the field. Report

> Eli Lilly has continued its aggressive program of outsourcing clinical research activities, this time signing an agreement with Irish CRO ICON to handle Lilly's clinical data management business outside the US. Report

> Johnson & Johnson announced that the FDA approved tapentadol immediate-release tablets for the relief of moderate to severe acute pain in adults 18 years of age or older. Report

> French pharmaceutical company Servier said its first melatonergic antidepressant, Valdoxan/Thymanax, got a positive opinion from the E.U.'s CHMP. Report

> Tech  industries "will eventually bring us out of this collapse," Sandra Kay Helsel tells the Arizona Daily Star. "Innovation and emerging tech are the drivers of the future." And who will be at the forefront when biotech comes out on the other end of this whirlwind? It could be Arizona's biotechs. Report

> Amulet Pharmaceuticals says it's a prime example of the fate awaiting many small developers with promising technology and a long road to travel before it can hit discovery paydirt. The credit crisis has forced the biotech to cut staff and put itself up for sale. Report

> Bristol-Myers Squibb has chosen to develop Exelixis' experimental cancer therapy XL413, triggering a $20 million milestone. That's the second $20 million payday Exelixis has earned from BMS this year. Report

> The folks at BIO are raising the alarm over the looming collapse of a large segment of the country's biotech industry. USA Today reports that industry leaders say that 40 percent of the country's small- and mid-cap developers are in danger of cratering within a year without government assistance. Report

 And Finally ... Scientists have created tiny microscopic spheres that trap and kill harmful bacteria in a manner the scientists liken to "roach motels" snaring and killing cockroaches. Report