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AP - Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca PLC said Thursday it plans to close three plants in Spain, Belgium and Sweden and cut 1,400 jobs in europe by 2013 to improve efficiency and expand investment in Asia to serve the growing market there.

AFP - Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca said Thursday it would slash 1,400 jobs by 2013 as it shuts factories in Belgium, Spain and Sweden.

BusinessWeek Online - Andrew Witty, the new chief executive of giant GlaxoSmithKline , surveys the wreckage of the global financial meltdown and sees an upside. With pharmaceutical stocks at record lows, it's a good time to acquire biotech companies and other assets that could drive Glaxo's growth for years. Its midsize rival Wyeth is also on the prowl -- but there's a difference. Faced with a shrinking market valuation, new CEO Bernard Poussot may have to bulk up to ward off larger predators.

The pharma is being plagued by further generic competition.

SACRAMENTO, CA (MARKET WIRE) The California School Nurses Organization (CSNO) today issued the following statement regarding the California Superior Court ruling on licensed nurses administering insulin injections to students.

AP - AstraZeneca PLC won the first round of a legal fight over the release of a generic version of its child asthma medication Pulmicort Respules by rival Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. on Thursday as it also unveiled job cuts in europe.

Pfizer withdraws application to sell drug without prescription after it hits opposition from government panel.

SEATTLE, WA (MARKET WIRE) The 2008 eHealthcare Leadership Awards has recognized Healia Health Communities (http://communities.healia.com) as a leader in interactive health content by honoring the site with the Silver Award in the "Best Interactive Site" category. Web sites in this category are evaluated for their focus on interactive features and technologies for providing health information and health evaluations, establishing ongoing relationships via personal Web pages and facilitating community groups. Winners were announced at the Twelfth Annual Healthcare Internet Conference held november 10-12, 2008 in Orlando.

Southern Research Institute has hired a new vice president of its drug development division from a Canadian pharmaceutical company.

The Missouri Development Finance Board on Thursday approved $30 million in tax credits deemed crucial to the $1 billion plan to redevelop the shuttered Bannister Mall area.