Pfizer whistleblower case heads to appeals court; Shire inks deal for rare kidney disease program;

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> A federal appeals court is slated to hear Pfizer's ($PFE) argument that it should be let off the hook on a jury's award to whistleblower Becky McClain, a lab scientist who claimed that the company had retaliated against her after she claimed that she had become ill after being infected with a virus in the pharma giant's Groton, Connecticut, labs. Pfizer says it never interfered with her speech rights. OSHA found no violations in its inspection of the Groton facilities. Story

> Qiagen has struck a deal to collaborate with Bayer on new diagnostics, starting on drugs that target solid tumors. Report (reg. req.)

> In today's quarterly earnings report, Shire ($SHPG) notes that it struck a deal for a preclinical asset at IGAN Biosciences for IgA nephropathy, a rare kidney disease. Release

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And Finally… Scientists are working on a new approach that could allow them to correct rare genetic diseases inherited in infants prior to conception. Story