> GlaxoSmithKline says that the FDA has approved Hiberix, a booster shot designed to prevent bacterial infection in children aged 15 months to 4 years. Story
> San Diego-based ChemDiv has expanded its research collaboration with Eli Lilly. The two companies will leverage ChemDiv's resources to go after another therapeutic target. Release
> Covidien says that a nuclear reactor in the Netherlands is back on line, delivering badly needed medical isotopes used in diagnostic imaging tests. A global shortage of isotopes hit last May after Canadian officials shut down a reactor that supplied a third of the world's supplies. Story
Pharma News
> Merck now has the advantage in its patent tussle over Singulair. A federal judge upheld the drugmaker's patent on the allergy-and-asthma blockbuster yesterday. What's more, the judge ordered a permanent injunction against generics maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Report
> Two new studies out today show that lung cancer drugs work best in patients with specific characteristics, laying a foundation for pre-treatment screening. AstraZeneca's pill Iressa worked better than chemo in East Asians whose tumors had specific mutations in genes for the epidermal growth factor receptor and another trial showed that Europeans with EGFR mutations did better on Roche's Tarceva than other patients did. Report
> GlaxoSmithKline commissioned sales reps to recruit doctor-authors for ghostwritten articles supporting Paxil use, a newly discovered document shows, and even named the program after everyone's favorite friendly ghost. Report
> Mylan announced today that it has filed a civil suit against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the authors of what it claims were "sensational and misleading" reports on quality control procedures at its manufacturing facility in Morgantown, W.V. Report
Vaccine News
> Every winter, norovirus--more commonly called the vomiting virus--causes misery on board cruise ships and inside schools and other places where people often crowd together. Now a group of scientists say that they're preparing to start human tests on a new vaccine for the virus that was manufactured using tobacco plants. Report
> Australia inked orders for 21 million doses of swine flu vaccine from CSL as it set the stage for the world's first mass vax campaign to get underway in a matter of weeks. The first shipment of two million doses will go out next week with pregnant women, the chronically ill and health workers at the front of the line. Report
And Finally... A chemical weapons expert wants to stop the military from using new mind-altering drugs in future wars. Report