Officials from 80 countries gathered in Washington on Friday to come up with plans to fight the threat of a global outbreak of avian influenza or bird flu. President Bush urged pharmaceutical executives to focus on influenza vaccines. It's the latest in a series of preparations for a possible pandemic after criticism of the government's response to Hurricane Katrina. Experts have been warning since 2003 that bird flu is the biggest current health threat to the world but policy efforts to battle it have increased in recent weeks.

The virus has killed millions of birds across Asia and infected more than 100 people, killing more than 60 of them in four Asian countries. Manufacturing a vaccine for bird flu would involve the same methods used for a vaccine against regular flu. But experts say the country's flu vaccine system is now so weak that if there were a bird flu outbreak, a vaccine would not be an option. Following last year's flu vaccine shortage, Congress and health agencies are working to find ways to lure drug companies back into the business of making it

The Perrigo Company announced that through a partnership with InvaGen Pharmaceuticals, it has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market Glimepiride Tablets.

Shipment of the product will begin immediately. The product is the generic equivalent to Aventis' Amaryl(R) Tablets, 1 mg, 2 mg and 4 mg, indicated for the treatment of diabetes

Reckitt Benckiser PLC decides to acquire the consumer healthcare division of Boots Group PLC for 1.9 billion pounds or $3.4 billion.

Boots also announced a merger with Alliance Unichem PLC. It puts up the Healthcare business up for sale in April, as it wants to focus on the performance of its 1,400 U.K. outlets

According to the U.S. State Department, global health experts are meeting in Washington D.C. to discuss a coordinated response to the bird flu epidemic.

"What this event does is it brings together 65-plus countries and international organizations that are concerned about preventing the spread of avian influenza," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack tells reporters

An Oxford University researcher predicts a billion people will die from tobacco-related diseases such as cancer during this century.

Professor Sir Richard Peto says smoking currently kills about five million adults a year globally