Endo Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENDP) faces a drug shortage risk for some of its opiates, such as Percocet, as Novartis Consumer Group sorts out a mix-up that could cause extended release opiates for Endo Pharmaceuticals to be bottled together with over-the-counter pain reliever Excedrin and stimulant NoDoz.The factory shutdown, though temporary, could cause a shortage for Endo’s [...]

If a flu pandemic strikes the United States, a Novartis (NYSE:NVS) plant in North Carolina now stands ready to respond with vaccine techniques that offer speed and scalability advantages over traditional vaccine-making methods.Novartis’ vaccine facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina today became the first cell culture vaccine facility authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug [...]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking Novartis (NYSE:NVS) CEO Joseph Jimenez to task with a warning letter that cites three of the company’s manufacturing facilities for “significant violations” at the company’s generics drug unit Sandoz.The warning letter, sent to Jimenez on Nov. 18, outlines a long list of findings including insufficient written procedures [...]

Watson Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:WPI) got approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its abbreviated new drug application for morphine sulfate extended-release capsules, the generic version of Actavis‘ Kadian, according to a statement from the company.The drug manages moderate to severe prolonged pain. For the year ending Sept. 30, Kadian had about $275 million in [...]

The movie “Contagion” is fiction, but ask Novartis (NYSE:NVS) executive Russell Thirsk and he’ll tell you the threats it depicts are quite real.For those who don’t know, “Contagion” tells the story of the worldwide spread of a virulent virus that goes on to kill millions. Thirsk is site head of Novartis’ new vaccine facility in [...]

Among today’s current medical news: Novartis wins FDA approval on a new pancreatic cancer drug; Vermont on its way to introducing single payer health care system; one nurses strike in California starts while another in Massachusetts is averted; and sex, coffee and six other things that can kill you, according to a new study.

Duke University’s Human Vaccine Institute will work with Novartis (NYSE:NVS) to rapidly develop a vaccine in case of a pandemic virus, according to a new five-year agreement.The team of Duke and Novartis investigators will have access to resources at both Duke University and Novartis’ vaccine manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina. The facilities are [...]

Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner and a prostate cancer expert, has been elected to the board of directors of Viamet Pharmaceuticals as the Durham, North Carolina-based company looks to advance its technology into clinical testing.

Dell said it will acquire Insite One, a developer of applications that enables doctors to share medical images in the cloud, for an undisclosed price, reports VentureBeat.

Alcon Inc. (NYSE:ACL) is about to become part of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) after the companies’ boards agreed to a merger deal.Basel, Switzerland-based Novartis agreed to pay $168 per ACL share through a combination of its own shares and “a contingent value cash component,” according to a prepared statement from Alcon.That’s a 2.4 percent [...]