> Quoting sources, Reuters reports that Solvay expects to get a number of bids for its pharma business. Both Novartis and Takeda are expected to leap in to the bidding, which could reach up to almost $7 billion. Report
> Galapagos announced that it earned a €3.4 million milestone payment from Janssen Pharmaceutica for their rheumatoid arthritis work. Release
> BioStorage Technologies--which stores biomaterials used in drug development--is planning to invest more than $6 million into the business and add 125 workers over three years. Report
> The FDA has granted Astellas Pharma US approval for the use of Prograf (tacrolimus) in conjunction with mycophenolate mofetil for the prevention of organ rejection in kidney transplant recipients. Release
> Industry group ISPE is partnering with the China Centre for Pharmaceutical International Exchange (CCPIE) to bring training courses tailored to the needs of the Chinese pharmaceutical industry. Report
> Indian drug makers are attempting to respond to a prevalence of extensive manual operations, islands of automation, disparate information systems, paper records that no longer meet business and regulatory requirements, and isolation of manufacturing systems from business systems, according to research from ARC Advisory Group. Report
> Novartis has struck a deal with Takeda that will allow the Swiss pharma giant entry into the world's third largest vaccine market. Report
> Underscoring just how important it is for all children to get vaccinated against diseases, a new study concludes that children who don't get the jab for whooping cough are 23 times more likely to get the disease than children who do get vaccinated. Report
> Majorities of toxicologists rate most government agencies as accurately portraying chemical risks, but they rate leading environmental activist groups as overstating risks and some industry groups as understating risks, according to the survey by George Mason University researchers. Report
And Finally... Experimental vaccines applied in a new way were effective in preventing ear infections in an animal study. And the researchers involve say that the new method could offer a potentially "transformative" approach to vaccine delivery. Report