AbbVie slashes 100 R&D jobs in shakeup; Bruised Oncothyreon pays Array $10M to partner on cancer drug; Algeta nails $50M milestone;

@FierceBiotech: UCLA slams the door on GlaxoSmithKline's latest R&D competition. More | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: ICYMI: Updated: GlaxoSmithKline gains FDA OK on two genetically targeted melanoma drugs. Report | Follow @JohnCFierce

@RyanMFierce: Biogen Idec appears to be playing the long game with delayed EU launch of Tecfidera, and that could benefit even short-term investors. | Follow @RyanMFierce

 @EmilyMFierce: Newest feature at @FierceBiotech: Top 10 experimental cancer drugs - 2013. Special Report | Follow @EmilyMFierce

> Ed Silverman at the Pharmalot blog is reporting that AbbVie ($ABBV) is slashing about 100 R&D jobs in another sign of a quiet restructuring in the making. The jobs are being cut in the pain research wing of the neuroscience division as the company adds about 90 jobs to increase its focus on dermatology, gastroenterology and renal diseases. Recently AbbVie's CSO handed in his surprise resignation, triggering some speculation that AbbVie has been shaking up its R&D ops in the wake of its split from Abbott. Story

> Just a few months after being hit hard by the failure of Stimuvax in Phase III, Seattle-based Oncothyreon ($ONTY) has struck a deal to pay Array BioPharma $10 million for the right to partner on the HER-2 inhibitor ARRY-380. Oncothyreon will handle the proof-of-concept research on breast cancer patients, with a particular focus on patients also suffering from brain cancer. The two companies plan to share the Phase III work, with Oncothyreon gaining U.S. copromotion rights if the product is approved. Release

> Norway's Algeta happily reported the first sale of Xofigo (radium Ra 223 dichloride), the newly approved cancer drug marketed by Bayer. The sale triggers a $50 million milestone for Algeta, which licensed the treatment to Bayer. Release

> The COO and CFO of Endo Health Solutions plan to leave the company later this year. Story

Medical Device News

@FierceMedDev: GE snags ultrasound repair business. More | Follow @FierceMedDev

 @DamianFierce: As GSK trumpets two new FDA approvals, France's bioMérieux is poised to cash in on companion diagnostics. More | Follow @DamianFierce

@MichaelGFierce: Devicemakers balk at FDA's recall guidelines. Item | Follow @MichaelGFierce

> Sequenom reaches into France with prenatal Dx. Report

> GE snags ultrasound repair business. Article

> Devicemakers balk at FDA's recall guidelines. More

> Edwards hit with FDA warning letter. News

> Abbott's Absorb takes India by storm. Story

Pharma News

@FiercePharma: UK cost watchdog about-faces on BMS and AZN's Forxiga, recommending it for some diabetes patients. Story | Follow @FiercePharma

@EricPFierce: Will Hospira never learn? FDA warning letter says some problems at India plant same as those recently noted at Rocky Mount. More | Follow @EricPFierce

@CarlyHFierce: ICYMI yesterday: FDA is importing TPN to ease drug shortage. Story | Follow @CarlyHFierce

> Continuing its manufacturing revamp, Pfizer unloads another Tennessee plant. Report

> Bristol-Myers, AstraZeneca win turnabout at NICE for Forxiga. More

> GlaxoSmithKline nabs key FDA approvals for two melanoma drugs. Article

> Ibuprofen carries heart attack, stroke risks on par with Vioxx's at high doses. News

Pharma Manufacturing News

> Pfizer sells King Pharma plant to UPM Pharmaceuticals. More

> UCB sells New York plant to Unither. News

> FDA turns to Fresenius to help relieve TPN shortage. Story

> New problems with Hospira's Indian plant reminiscent of Rocky Mount. Article

> J&J appeals OTC plant license revocation in India. Item

Vaccines News

> H7N9 shows resistance to Roche's Tamiflu. News

> Chinese HFMD vaccine impresses in Phase III. Report

> Gates-inspired gene therapy gives pandemic protection. Story

> Study links GSK's swine flu vaccine to narcolepsy in adults. Article

> Researchers seek fresh approach to HIV vaccine. More

And Finally…  Seong-Wook Lee of Dankook University, Yongin, Republic of Korea and his collaborators say they have developed agents that can overcome the resistance that builds up to hepatitis C drugs. The agents bind to the "business end of a critical protein, disabling it so successfully that no resistance has arisen." The research is published in the June 2013 issue of the Journal of Virology. Release