ALSO NOTED: Pfizer profit plummets; Orchestra kills HIV program; and much more...

> There's big trouble at Pfizer, where profit plunged 48 percent in the second quarter as new generics ate up market share and Lipitor sales floundered. Release | Report

> Orchestra Therapeutics has discontinued its HIV vaccine development program. Analysis of data from 70 patients who completed a 52 weeks clinical trial in Europe and Canada did not show a clear advantage of Orchestra Therapeutics' second generation HIV vaccine, IR103, over its original whole-killed HIV vaccine, REMUNE. Furthermore, although interim analysis of patients in this trial at 36 weeks suggested a trend toward stabilization of CD4+ counts in HAART naive patients vaccinated with REMUNE or IR103, this trend was not observed at week 52. Release

> Shares of PDL BioPharma tracked higher yesterday after one if its investors renewed calls for the termination of PDL CEO Mark McDade. Release

> Theratechnologies reported today that new positive data related to body image from the first 26 weeks of its first Phase III study testing TH9507 in HIV-associated lipodystrophy have been presented in Sydney, Australia. Release

> The FDA has fast-tracked Cardium's Generx, a therapy for insufficient blood flow in the heart muscle. Report

> Switzerland's Basilea says that the FDA has agreed to review its experimental superbug drug, but declined to give it an accelerated review. Report

And Finally... The incidence of serious strep infections has risen dramatically in the last three decades, and this increase is largely attributed to the spread around the globe of a single strain of strep known as the invasive M1T1 clone. Release