Buybacks could pressure European pharma ratings; FTC wants more from Roche on Illumina bid;

@FiercePharma: Interesting Bloomberg piece on Austrian who made his millions off drug-price differences in U.K. and EU. Article | Follow @FiercePharma

Moody's Investor Service advised that a handful of European pharmas--including Roche ($RHHBY), Sanofi ($SNY), Novartis ($NVS), GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK), and AstraZeneca ($AZN)--could see their ratings suffer on stock buybacks. Report

The Federal Trade Commission asked Roche for more information on its attempt to buy the gene-sequencing firm Illumina ($ILMN). Report

Jordan's Hikma Pharmaceutical saw results suffer in last spring's political unrest in the Middle East, but it's expecting improvement on new governments' spending on healthcare. Report

Elan is selling some $381 million worth of Alkermes ($ALKS) stock gained in its sale of Elan Drug Technology, taking its stake down to 6%. Report

Forest Laboratories ($FRX) sued three generics makers over their plans to sell a generic version of its Bystolic blood-pressure drug. Report

Biotech News

@FierceBiotech: Okairos launches pioneering mid-stage study of promising hep C vaccine. Article | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: Troubled Marina Biotech does a DNAi discovery deal with scads of biobucks involved. Release | Follow @JohnCFierce

@RyanMFierce: An interesting skeptic's take on the promise of DNA sequencing personalizing healthcare. Story | Follow @RyanMFierce

@FierceMedDev: Chicago hospital doctors say iPads raise their efficiency, via Fox News. Article|Follow @FierceMedDev

Langer upstart rakes in fresh venture cash for mucus-targeting drugs. Article

Sir Chris Evans inspires creation of a £100M Welsh biotech fund. News

Your name here: Max Planck Florida shops naming rights for $10M. More

Animal rights groups in U.K. blockade supply routes for researchers. Story

Marina inks $14M discovery pact with ProNAi. Item

Medical Device News

Medtronic faces more shareholder ire over Infuse. More

ViewRay closes $45M Series C. News

Boston Sci, Vodafone partner on mobile health monitoring. Story

Cease implanting metal hips, U.K. doctors urge. More

Everist launches companion Dx, prognostics portfolio for colorectal cancer. News

Biomarkers News

Inflammatory protein marks heart disease. Item

Researchers find 5 Crohn's disease markers in Ashkenazi Jews. Story

New biomarkers could mean a blood test for autism. More

Chikungunya could identify high-risk patients. Article

Genetic mutation links with age in neuroblastoma. Story

Nuclea Bio hunts prostate markers. Item

Drug Delivery News

Kala Pharmaceuticals, co-launched by MIT's Langer, snags $6.2M. News

InflammaGen drug delivery weapon targets self-digestion in Phase II trial. Article

Scientists harness molecular 'transporter' to boost drug delivery prowess. Story

And Finally... Statin drugs' potential for triggering muscle fatigue may be most pronounced in people who exercise, a rat study finds. Report