Spotlight On... Struggling Toshiba considers selling stake in its device unit; Mount Sinai gets $500K grant for venous thromboembolism; SI-Bone secures some Medicare coverage; and more...

Japan's Toshiba is considering a stake in its medical equipment unit as part of a broader restructuring in the wake of an accounting scandal. The company is laying off 6,800 people and forecast a record 550 billion yen ($4.5 billion) loss for the fiscal year. In October, the company said that it has sold its stake in Japanese medical equipment manufacturer Topcon. More

@FierceMedDev: ICYMI yesterday: Philips' Volcano to keep Sacramento site despite 60 manufacturing layoffs. Article | Follow @FierceMedDev

@EmilyWFierce: Hey doc, what's on the menu when pharma comes calling? Hint: It's not health food. Story from FiercePharmaMarketing | Follow @EmilyWFierce

> The Department of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has received a half-million-dollar grant to develop evidence-based diagnostics of venous thromboembolism. The grant is from Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning & Change and Bristol-Myers Squibb Independent Medical Education. More

> Minimally invasive surgical company SI-Bone announced that use of its iFuse Implant System will be covered by the Medicare Administrative Contractor covering the states of Kentucky and Ohio starting Feb. 1, 2016. More

> Siemens will help finance the building of a new Dutch hospital in Sheemda; it also gained a long-term managed equipment services contract with the regional healthcare provider behind it, Ommelander Ziekenhuis Groep (OZG). More

Biotech News

@FierceBiotech: As trouble mounts, a chastened Martin Shkreli says bad boy persona was just an 'experiment.' Article | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: Boehringer grabs 'breakthrough,' plots pivotal trials for rival to AstraZeneca, Clovis. (What breakthrough?) More | Follow @JohnCFierce

> Eli Lilly taps Halozyme in an $825M delivery deal. News

> Amgen buys another cancer-fighting virus project in a $10.5M deal. Report

Pharma News

@FiercePharma: Gene-testing business boosts Neogen's sales but earnings fall short of high expectations. FierceAnimalHealth story | Follow @FiercePharma

@EricPFierce: WuXi clarifies just what AstraZeneca is buying, or actually what it isn't buying. ICYMI from FiercePharmaManufacturing | Follow @EricPFierce

@CarlyHFierce: ICYMI Friday: GSK adds Bristol-Myers pipeline drugs to challenge Gilead in HIV. Article | Follow @CarlyHFierce

> Medicaid would have saved $1.4B with discounts for generics: Report. Story

> Ready to step up M&A, Bayer could target big game like Pfizer's OTC unit, Zoetis. Report

Pharma Marketing News

> New FDA policy gives its staff wide latitude on social media. Could pharma freedom follow? More

> Hey doc, what's on the menu when pharma comes calling? Hint: It's not health food. Story

> Bayer, coveting top spots in animal and consumer health, may eye deals for Zoetis, Pfizer OTC. Item

> Headaches for Reckitt over charges of misleading claims for OTC painkillers. Article

Animal Health News

> Sanofi, Boehringer to create new animal health giant in $12.5B asset swap. News

> U.S. states lift bird-flu bans and quarantines as reports of virus mount overseas. Article

> Jaguar shares jump on string of positive news in equine health. Report

> AB Science's Kinavet cancer drug for dogs loses FDA marketing authorization. Item

> Toxin from sea algae impacts memory, behavior in California sea lions: Study. More

Biotech IT News

> Shkreli's Twitter account hacked, spokesperson says. Item

> UCB taps Congenica tech for help with target discovery. News

> MorphoSys picks Dotmatics tool to visualize, analyze screening data. Report

> FDA hits tight timeline for start of precisionFDA open beta. More

> FDA CTO admits security shortcomings are holding back data sharing. Article