Merck's consumer biz could fetch $10B; X-Chem strikes a deal with Bayer;

@FierceBiotech: Like him or not, Myriad Genetics' Peter Meldrum helped make predictive cancer testing viable. Profile | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: Who's influential in biopharma? (ICYMI) Report | Follow @JohnCFierce

@DamianFierce: FDA rejects Durect's pitch to market post-operative pain therapy. More | Follow @DamianFierce

@EmilyMFierce: GlaxoSmithKline joins $115M antibiotics development initiative. Story via FierceBiotech Research | Follow @EmilyMFierce

> Merck ($MRK) has made no secret of its inclination to sell off its consumer business, and the segment could go for as much as $10 billion. Story

> Cardiome's ($CRME) long-troubled Brinavess posted some promising results in an investigator-led study on patients with atrial fibrillation. More

> Waltham, MA's X-Chem is licensing an early-stage discovery program to Bayer, part of partnership between the two. Item

Medical Device News

@FierceMedDev: Illumina's Jay Flatley brought sequencing to another level in 2013--the $1000 genome is now a reality. Report | Follow @FierceMedDev

@MarkHFierce: Amedica's IPO is going steadily. Stock at $6.19 as of 10:56 A.M. Moderately higher. Story | Follow @MarkHFierce

@MichaelGFierce: CalTech engineers have created an antibody carrier that could prevent intravaginal HIV infection. Not a vaccine... More from FierceDrugDelivery | Follow @MichaelGFierce

@EmilyWFierce: "Musical hallucinations" give scientists clues about brain function, hearing loss. Article | Follow @EmilyWFierce

> Teleflex triggered a global recall for a tracheal tube that can crease during use. Story

> Illumina and Yuri Milner will back a genomics startup incubator in San Francisco. More

> Blood Purification Technologies gets FDA green light for artificial kidney trials. News

> Miramar Labs raises $10M to market device that eliminates underarm sweat glands. Item

Pharma News

@FiercePharma: More than 2,000 Pradaxa patients are suing Boehringer over severe or fatal bleeding. More | Follow @FiercePharma

@TracyStaton: Our best-read feature every year: The most influential people in biopharma today. Report | Follow @TracyStaton

@EricPFierce: It's 1 thing for an API seller to have poor quality controls, but FDA says it's a real problem to have none. Story | Follow @EricPFierce

@CarlyHFierce: Merck consumer-health deal heats up with $10B-plus bids expected soon. News | Follow @CarlyHFierce

> Antitrust watchdogs come down on Pfizer for Lipitor dealmaking. Story

> Boehringer says it's fighting 2,000 lawsuits over Pradaxa safety. Article

> Merck consumer-health deal heats up with $10B-plus bids expected soon. News

Pharma Manufacturing News

> Congress wants more info about the quality of foreign-made generics. Story

> 2 Hospira plants improve their FDA standing as improvements kick in. Article

> Irish Regeneron plant to produce tax benefits as well as drugs. Story

> Catalent to expand in U.S. and add 230 jobs to its Kansas City operation. News

> The FDA slams a Hong Kong API for the sorry state of its quality controls. Story

> New plants in Middle East are a testament to the region's emerging market status. Item

Vaccines News

> Quadrivalent flu vaccines drive surge in sales at AstraZeneca, GSK and Sanofi. Earnings

> The President's Cancer Panel is pushing for increased use of Merck's and GSK's HPV vaccines. News

> Crowdfunded HIV project draws criticism from scientists. Story

> CDC: Adult vaccination rates are still well below targets. Article

> The U.S. flu season is slowly winding down after hitting some states hard. Story

> Global measles deaths have dropped 78% since 2000. Brief