> It looks like more layoffs will be coming at Genentech, BNET reports. Report
> Abbott and Medtronic have reached an agreement to settle their patent dispute. Under the terms of the settlement, Medtronic will pay Abbott $400 million. The settlement also includes a mutual agreement not to pursue additional litigation on current and future vascular products, subject to specific conditions and time limits. Abbott release
> Immunomedics has entered into a partnership and cross-licensing agreement with England's Alexis Biotech to jointly develop targeted vaccines against cancers that include melanoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and infectious diseases, such as AIDS. Release
> Ariad Pharmaceuticals says preliminary results from a early-stage trial on an investigational compound has shown significant activity in patients with advanced blood cancers who were resistant to other drugs. Report
> Novo Nordisk has reached a settlement with the Danish Public Prosecutor for Serious Economic Crime regarding the company's sales to Iraq during 2000 to 2003 under the United Nations Oil-for-Food programme. Under the terms of the settlement, Novo Nordisk will pay back past profits of 30 million Danish kroner ($5.7 million). Novo Nordisk release
Pharma News
> Did Mylan workers routinely ignore potential quality-control problems at a West Virginia plant? That's what the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports today, in a lengthy article based on an internal report obtained by the newspaper. Report
> Democratic Senators have tee'd up pharma rebates as a healthcare cost-cutting strategy. Led by freshman Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, a cadre of Democrats have asked Finance Committee chief Max Baucus to have drugmakers rebate part of the cost difference between Medicare and Medicaid. Report
> As governments around the world stock up on antiflu medications and contract for vaccine supplies, they're also having to tackle some ticklish distribution issues. Report
> Who's holding the cards in the game for those coveted animal health assets Merck and Schering-Plough are planning to divest? Hint: It's not Merck or Schering. It's Sanofi-Aventis, which is Merck's joint venture partner in Merial. "Sanofi holds the upper hand," a source close to the talks told Reuters. Report
Biotech IT News
> DNA Software, a previous recipient of grants from the National Institutes of Health, has recently been awarded three Fast Track small business grants. Report
> Acronym aficionados take note: CRO has sprouted the subcategory PRO, for pharmaceutical research organization. One such company, which shall remain unnamed, has selected Mission3's Internet-based OnDemand system for client regulatory publishing worldwide. Report
> Dutch DNA data service center BaseClear says will provide customers receiving Next Generation Sequencing data with a license for CLC bio's Genomics Workbench for assembly and downstream sequence analyses. Report
> Drug developers and clinicians who want to tap medical records for insight into their research may be in line for a windfall: data capture solutions provider Kofax has signed a software deal to help automate the processing of millions of patient medical records for business process outsourcing provider EDCO Group's hospital and health clinic customers. Report
> The debate over cloud computing tends to center on one fundamental point: Is the cloud an insecure place to store data? But this is the wrong question, because the power and promise of cloud computing can be realized without ever storing data there at all. Report
And Finally... Researchers were able to use common allergy drugs to reduce obesity and diabetes in mice. Release