Lundbeck, Otsuka expand Abilify marketing plans; Aspen Pharmacare profits leap on Asian sales;

@FiercePharma: On 2nd thought: U.K. cost agency backs Novartis asthma drug Xolair. New discount, new analyses, NICE says. More | Follow @FiercePharma

@EricPFierce: Impax handed a 12-page Form 483 for a California plant by FDA. Plant must get OK before FDA will consider Impax NDA. Story | Follow @EricPFierce

Fresh off an FDA approval for their once-monthly version of the antipsychotic Abilify, Lundbeck and Otsuka expanded their partnership to cover other Abilify formulations. Report

South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare posted a 17% increase in half-year profits, on top of a 20% increase in sales to almost $1 billion. Report

Brazilian drugmaker Hypermarcas doubled net income year-over-year as its pharma-growth plans paid off. Report

Roche's ($RHHBY) Rituxan trounced a rare skin condition in a small trial, suggesting a new use for the cancer and arthritis treatment. Report

A Venezuelan drugmaker is moving to Florida to escape the country's political and economic crises, local officials said. Report

Biotech News

@FierceBiotech: Aastrom lands a new CEO in a game of musical biotech chairs. News | Follow @FierceBiotech

**@JohnCFierce:**I'd be willing to bet that Perlmutter has a couple of billion-dollar deals--like BioVex/Micromet--up his sleeves. Merck needs PhIII assets. | Follow @JohnCFierce

@RyanMFierce: I wonder whether Perlmutter will keep plugging away at CETP and other questionable Merck programs. | Follow @RyanMFierce

Analysts track a spike in mid-cap biotechs' R&D spend. More

GSK files diabetes drug in Europe in big regulatory offensive. News

Ex-Amgen research czar Perlmutter to helm Merck's struggling R&D ops. Story

Medical Device News

@FierceMedDev: DBS helped some anorexia patients eat more. Item | Follow @FierceMedDev

@MarkHFierce: Fierce 15 company Nevro just closed $48M in Series C financing. Yet ANOTHER robust device funding round. Release | Follow @MarkHFierce

@DamianFierce: Illumina, SynapDx ally to develop autism diagnostic tools. Article | Follow @DamianFierce

Renal denervation: Medtronic reaches for broader patient population. Article

On second thought, Boston Scientific will unveil all Watchman data. News

Stomach cancer breath Dx performs well in human tests. More

Pharma Manufacturing News

Merck to close plant in Ireland. News

Teva manufacturing cuts may have to involve home turf. More

Ajinomoto buying biologics CMO Althea. Report

Vaccines News

Sequester cuts set to hit vaccines. Report

Study pins cancer vaccine failures on self-sabotaging adjuvant. Story

GSK lawsuit shows risks of vaccine outsourcing. More

Novartis encouraged by typhoid vaccine progress. Article

And Finally... How data-mining web searches can flag drug side effects. Report | More