Valeant goes on defense; Isis pockets $5M in GSK deal;

@FierceBiotech: ICYMI: AstraZeneca's gout drug wins faint praise from FDA advisers. Article | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: ICYMI: Alexion wins priority review voucher with FDA OK of Strensiq. Report | Follow @JohnCFierce

@DamianFierce: This is an excellently reported /Philidor story that deserves a more alluring headline. Perhaps "One Weird Trick To Boost Drug Revenue," and then they could do like a quiz to "Find Your Philidor Alter-Ego" WSJ story | Follow @DamianFierce

> Valeant Pharmaceuticals ($VRX), facing mounting scrutiny over its accounting practices and business model, has formed a committee to review its reliance on specialty pharmacies and called on the SEC to investigate the short sellers lobbing accusations. Story

> Irish biotech Nuritas raised $3.2 million in seed financing to develop products that straddle the divide between nutrition and therapeutics. More

> Isis Pharmaceuticals ($ISIS) pocketed $5 million from its ongoing collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) after kicking off a Phase I study on a treatment for ocular disorders. News

Medical Device News

@FierceMedDev: Check out this year's Fierce 15: The new strategic med tech mania sets the stage for 2015's Fierce 15. Feature | Follow @FierceMedDev

@EmilyWFierce: ICYMI Friday: Kadcyla's miss in stomach cancer dents Roche's effort to reap more from new drugs. FiercePharma story | Follow @EmilyWFierce

> Healthcare, wellness drive Philips growth as it works to shed lighting, maintain cautious M&A strategy. Story

> Report: Buyer interest heating up for Swiss Dx company Unilabs. More

> Walgreens freezes partnership with Theranos amid testing fallout. Report

Pharma News

@FiercePharma: ICYMI from FiercePharmaAsia: Ranbaxy merger showing sharp cons as well as pros for Sun Pharma. Item | Follow @FiercePharma

@EricPFierce: ICYMI from FiercePharmaManufacturing: Japan's says its mAb work with means a need for a $309M API plant expansion. Article | Follow @EricPFierce

@CarlyHFierce: SOMEbody got burned out on grammar by slide 82 of the $VRX presentation. "Why does R&O and Philidor have the same phone number?" | Follow @CarlyHFierce

> Merck discounts Remicade in U.K. as it tries to fend off biosimilars. Report

> Defensive Valeant sets up board committee to probe fraud allegations. Story

> U.K.'s Big Kahuna investor spurs GlaxoSmithKline toward a Big Split. Article

Animal Health News

> Subway ups the ante on antibiotic-free meat pledge. More

> Lilly charts strong Q3 results bolstered by Novartis Animal Health addition. Item

> After downsizing and delaying IPO, Oasmia pulls off Nasdaq debut. Story

> New app offers remote veterinary visits for pet owners. Article

> Parnell shares advance on strong Q3 revenue growth. Report

Biotech IT News

> Big Pharma follows cash-strapped seniors onto the darknet. Story

> Silicon Valley's thrust into biotech sparks scramble for data scientists. Report

> J&J inks deal to access Nuevolution's informatics-enabled discovery platform. News

> Genentech deal continues big 2015 for in silico specialist Nimbus. Article

> Novartis, Qualcomm joint venture backs $6.5M Series A round for Science 37. More

Pharma Marketing News

> AbbVie faces the music with Express Scripts over FDA's Viekira Pak warning. Item

> J&J's Yondelis finally captures FDA nod, but path to big sales could be steep. More

> The eyes may have it, but pharma still needs convincing on branded visual comms. Report

> Sales reps need to bone up on tech skills as drug launches move digital. Story

> Biogen to put layoffs savings toward DTC, patient support for lagging Tecfidera. Article