While You Were Taking a Homeopathic Overdose

In Britain, hundreds of protesters gathered outside branches of the drug store Boots to endulge in a little comedy 'overdose' of homeopathic pills. The sugar rush must've been amazing.

Meanwhile, in Washington, here comes the budget. And it ain't pretty ...

While you were watching a pretend football game ...

• GSK plans to cut about 4,000 more jobs in the US and Europe, reports the Sunday Times. The official word is expected on Thursday when the Big Pharma reports its 2009 financials.


• Harvard and Imperial College scientists have elucidated the structure of a key HIV enzyme, integrase, reports Reuters. The findings should aid drug discovery and resistance-prevention efforts.


• Merck Serono: no timeline yet on FDA resubmission of MS drug oral cladribine.


• FDA isn't happy about one oft-quoted dermatologist's premature enthusiasm for Dysport in 2007, which hadn't yet been approved. The forum? The women's magazine Allure.
• UPDATE: Cephalon is buying the Merkle-owned Swiss generics company Mepha for $590 million. The deal doubles the size of Cephalon's overseas business, which until now mainly comprised the assets of former European specialty play Medeus.

image from flickr user shellac used under a creative commons license