Johnson & Johnson reported the company has won an 11-year patent suit against Medtronic Inc and Boston Scientific Corp over the Palmaz balloon expandable stent. A U.S. judge has awarded the company $ 1.2 billion dollars.

Researchers state that a study with drug-coated stents implanted into clogged heart arteries have assisted in lowering the risk of death more than the bare-metal versions. The data was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

New York´s Wall Street Journal posted an online article stating the Boston Scientific Corp heart stent Taxus Liberte, awaiting U.S. health authorities´ approval, is backed by a flawed statistical equation that favors the device maker´s claims of success in a clinical study, citing the newspaper´s own review of the study data. The company states statistical methods used were those approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Further details.

Australia´s CSL Ltd, the world´s top maker of plasma products, has tendered a bid of $ 3.1 billion dollars to acquire smaller U.S.-based rival Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings Corp, to boost its presence in the fast-growing biopharmaceutical industry. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals, including anti-trust authorities. Further details.

Oral antibiotics will be available in pharmacies in the U.K. without a prescription for the first time, in an effort to curb the rise of chlamydia among young people

A study of emergency room patients shows Orasure Technologies’ oral AIDS virus screening test OraQuick gave a higher number of false-positive results than indicated on its label. Over 3 percent of people tested received inaccurate positive results

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Invitrogen Corp's genetic test SPOT-Light HER2 CISH kit for determining whether patients with breast cancer are good candidates for treatment with the Genentech/Roche drug Herceptin.

German Fresenius SE, Europe’s biggest maker of intravenous drugs, announced it will be acquiring U.S. APP Pharmaceuticals Inc for $ 3.7 billion dollars, thus entering the powerful U.S. market for generic injectable drugs used in hospitals. Fresenius could end up paying up to $ 4.6 billion dollars if the U.S. company reaches certain goals with its pipeline drugs. Further details.

Hungary’s top pharma company Richter Gedeon was granted approval by Poland’s competition watchdog to acquire Polpharma, the largest generic drugs maker in Poland. The merger creates the largest drug company in the region

Abbott Laboratories has announced the upcoming launch of its drug-eluting heart stent Xience after obtaining FDA clearance to market the device in the U.S. The stent will compete with Boston Scientific’s Taxus, J&J’s Cypher, and Medtronic’s Endeavor in the lucrative stent market

Those looking for an instant facial boost, or who want Hollywood-like lips, need not resort to surgery now. The FDA has approved J&J’s latest beauty treatment, a collagen based injectable product which soften facial lines and wrinkles, pouts up lips, and corrects scars, marking the first incursion in the cosmetic-medicine market by a major U.S. pharma company