NeoGenomics expands workforce; KV, Gideon Richter ink deal;

> AstraZeneca CEO David Brennan says pharma is in the middle of a "sea change." On one side, the drugmakers aiming for megamergers as a remedy for their ills. On the other, companies relying on collaboration and partnerships. Three guesses as to which side Brennan's on. Report [1]

[2]

> Fort Myers, Florida based NeoGenomics says it will expand its work force by 75 highly paid employees during the next three years. Report [3]

> Gedeon Richter and KV Pharmaceuticals have inked a deal for the licensing rights to certain KV's technologies and products in Women's Health. Report [4]

> Paladin Labs announced the closing of its partnership with Isotechnika Pharma for the commercialization of voclosporin, Isotechnika's next-generation calcineurin inhibitor, in Canada, Mexico, Central & South America, Israel and South Africa. Release [5]

> With MedImmune leaving behind 175,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Rockville, Maryland, Human Genome Sciences is shopping for a new subleaser. HGS says it is not worried and has received interest in the space already. Report [6]

> Mercury News' Matthew Gardner says proposed tax reforms in California threaten the state's life sciences industry. Report [7]

Pharma News

> Standard & Poor's likes European pharma companies. In a new report, the ratings agency says that Europe's pharma sector "appears to be barely scathed by the economic recession." Report [8]

> While Sanofi-Aventis CEO Chris Viehbacher (photo [9]) was in Seattle for the Pacific Health Summit--where he touted Sanofi's efforts in emerging markets--a business pub collared him for a Q&A. He talked H1N1 flu, tuberculosis, biotech and targeted meds. Here are some highlights from Xconomy. Report [10]

> Matrixx Initiatives may profess its surprise at the FDA's warning [11] against its Zicam cold-care products, but the company admits it held onto 800 consumer complaints about side effects linked to the now-withdrawn nasal spray and swabs. Report [12]

> GlaxoSmithKline's migraine medicine Treximet has been getting the cold shoulder from docs and insurers, Bloomberg reports. Why? Treximet combines the anti-inflammatory naproxen with Glaxo's migraine pill Imitrex--both of which are available in generic form. Report [13]

And Finally... Replikins says an analysis of the latest peptide genomic data for the H1N1 influenza virus indicates that the current global outbreak of H1N1 is increasing in its capacity for lethality. Report [14]