> Wyeth says it will lay off 276 workers in Puerto Rico due to a company restructuring and a drop in demand for locally manufactured products. Report<
> The FDA said it would continue allowing the widespread use of a class of powerful antibiotics in food-producing animals, making a last-minute reversal after calling the practice a public-health risk in July. Report
> A Texas state appeals court reversed its earlier decision that a $7.75 million Vioxx verdict was based on insufficient evidence and remanded it for further proceeding in light of alleged juror misconduct. Report
> In a first-ever instance of an Indian patent being revoked after being granted, India's High Court has set aside Roche's patent on a key drug on procedural grounds. Report
> Rep. Joe Barton is questioning why the FDA waited six months to seize contaminated lots of a popular blood thinner from an Ohio-based company that wasn't properly recalling the product. Report
> The growth in the sale of generics slowed to 3.6 percent in the 12 months ending in September, compared to 11.4 percent in the prior year, according to IMS Health. Report
> About 150 jobs are expected to be lost when Pfizer sells its Loughbeg, Ireland, site to a Portuguese pharmaceutical company; another 70 to 80 employees will be able to transfer to the new owners. Report
> ProStrakan got the nod from German regulators to launch its breakthrough cancer pain drug Abstral, which it plans for early 2009. Report
> The Indian breast cancer drug market will almost double from $35 million in 2007 to $64 million by 2012, according to a new report from Decision Resources. Release
> Dabur Pharma got marketing authorization for its prostate cancer treatment bicalutamide from the U.K.'s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency or MHRA. Report
> Amerisource Bergen continues to expect 2009 earnings per share to be in a range of $3.08 to $3.25, an increase of 7 percent to 12 percent over the $2.89 from continuing operations in fiscal 2008. Report
> Peregrine Pharmaceuticals announced that Dr. Thomas A. Waltz, chairman of its board of directors, unexpectedly passed away on Wednesday. Release
> Shares of Arena Pharmaceuticals were dented after the developer announced that a Phase IIb trial of a new insomnia drug--APD125-- failed to hit its primary or secondary endpoints and will be shelved. Report
> Canada's Thallion Pharmaceuticals has brought in Desjardins Securities to advise the company as it reviews a takeover offer. Report
> Valeant Pharmaceuticals will beef up its presence in the dermatology field with today's deal to buy Dow Pharmaceutical Sciences for $285 million in cash. Report
> Genzyme has won a crucial vote by FDA advisers in favor of its single injection form of Synvisc, a therapy that eases knee pain by providing a cushion between joints. Report
> An outbreak of bird flu at a Hong Kong poultry farm is raising concerns as some of the birds that died had been vaccinated against the virus. That's an alarming sign that the vaccine may be losing its potency as new strains arise. Report
> The nation's first mid-season report card on vaccination trends for seasonal influenza shows that 30 percent of U.S. adults got the jab by mid-November. Report
And Finally... Tests on brain samples from dead people have strengthened claims that Alzheimer's disease may be caused by the same virus that causes cold sores. Report