Transcept axes workers after FDA rejection; Forest expands board; Should people who reject vaccines be sanctioned?;

@FierceBiotech: Roche gearing up to seek approvals of breast cancer treatment. News | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: The "sword of Damocles" is dangling over AstraZeneca this week. Item | Follow @JohnCFierce

> Transcept Pharmaceuticals said late last week that it would cut almost half of its workforce in the wake of the FDA's rejection of its sleep drug Intermezzo. Article

> Forest Laboratories is laying plans to expand its board to 10 members as CEO Howard Solomon fights off an assault by Carl Icahn. Story

> Forest Labs says that its depression drug levomilnacipran performed well in a late-stage study, showing a statistically significant improvement among adults enrolled in the trial. The news follows Forest's announcement in January that the drug failed a key study. Two more late-stage studies will report data in the coming year. Report

> VirxSys says it has taken another step toward developing a vaccine for HIV. We are well on the path to a functional cure, at least in monkeys," says  Laurent Humeau, VirxSys vice president of  research and development. Piece

> Cyclacel and Daiichi Sankyo have restructured their deal on sapacitabine, with the Japanese company waiving "a termination right it possessed under a provision of the license agreement that required the company to obtain regulatory approval to sell sapacitabine in at least one country by September, 2011." Release

Pharma News

@FiercePharma: U.K. workers dispute Novartis severance pay. Story | Follow @FiercePharma

> Lupin said to weigh scale of Indian pharma unit. Article

> Valeant aims for top of dermatology, CEO says. Article

Biotech IT News

> Bracket buys ePRO provider arrowhead. News

> Medidata faces market hurdles, Goldman says. More

> Knome aids in Parkinson's gene discovery. Item

> CRO Icon scoops up eClinical firm Firecrest. Story

> Accelrys integrates MIT tech into updated lab software. Article

> NCI taps start-up GNS's supercomputing tech for lung cancer analysis. News

Medical Device News

> Medtronic, Stryker sued for causing woman's injuries. More

> AngioDynamics mulls move of laser unit. Item

> Medtronic invests in PowerVision. Story

> J&J unit enrolls first patient in SMART-AF study. News

> Transcend Medical boosts Series B to $51M. Article

And Finally... Harvard's David Ropeik is encouraging new measures that would punish people who reject vaccinations. Column