Cephalon ends Alkermes pact; Duramed wins FDA OK;

> Cephalon has agreed to pay Alkermes $11 million to end their collaboration on Vivitrol for alcohol dependence. Alkermes regains full commercialization rights. Story [1]

> The FDA has approved Duramed Pharmaceuticals' new drug application for a new vaginal cream. Report [2]

> FDA staffers say that Novartis' Coartem, a combination pill for malaria, appears safer than older drugs already on the market. Report [3]

> Vical earned a $1 million milestone on Merck's decision to start an early-stage trial of a new cancer vaccine. Story [4]

> GeoVax Labs announced today that the launch of its Phase IIa human vaccine trials will take place in twelve sites across North and South America. Release [5]

> The FDA will give Cell Therapeutics' request for expanded use of the cancer drug Zevalin a priority review. Report [6]

> A much-lamented ban on new kidney cancer drugs in the U.K. will soon be lifted, the Guardian reports. Report [7]

> Does Chris Viehbacher's (photo [8]) advent as CEO of Sanofi-Aventis [9] signal that buyout deals may soon be in the works? Analysts say yes. Report [10]

> We've heard a lot about insurers and other payers pushing patients to use generics rather than brand-name meds, and how that pressure hampers Big Pharma. But there's a flip side to that coin. Report [11]

> As expected [12], the European Union socked it to pharma in a new industry-sector report, saying that drugmakers' business strategies have added billions to healthcare costs. Report [13]

And Finally... Biologists at The University of Nottingham and University College Dublin have announced a major breakthrough in our understanding of the sex life of a microscopic fungus which is a major cause of death in immune deficient patients and also a cause of severe asthma. Release [14]