HEALTH

NEW YORK — GlaxoSmithKline may be looking to buy a Brazilian drug maker for up to $4 billion, according to published reports.

Reuters, citing unnamed sources, said GSK was one of several drug companies looking to buy Ache Laboratorios Farmaceuticos for $3 billion to $4 billion. Other companies looking to buy the drug maker included Novartis, Pfizer and Abbott Labs.

Reuters noted that the company was attractive to drug makers looking to expand their footprints in Latin America and that it was a major producer of prescription and OTC medications.

NEW YORK — Schiff Nutrition Group and M&C Saatchi NY on Tuesday launched a Valentine’s Day marketing campaign — “Whose Heart Do You Love” — in support of MegaRed krill oil supplements. 

SILVER SPRING, Md. — A federal judge has ordered a California company and its owner to stop manufacturing and distributing drugs and dietary supplements in domestic commerce until their manufacturing operations comply with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Food and Drug Administration reported Friday. 

BAGSVÆRD, Denmark — The Food and Drug Administration declined to approve two insulin products made by Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk, the company said Sunday.

Novo Nordisk said it received complete response letters from the FDA for Tresiba (insulin degludec) and Ryzodeg (insulin degludec and insulin aspart). The FDA issues a complete response letter when it has finished reviewing an application for a drug, but determines that the application can't be approved in its current form.

ST. LOUIS — A group of former executives from Save-A-Lot, Grandpa's Stores and Deals: Nothing Over a Dollar has teamed up to create a new business venture that they said would combine wholesale, retail and e-commerce components.

PARIS — During a quarterly conference call Thursday, Sanofi president of global operations Hanspeter Spek noted that Sanofi's consumer arm Chattem will be relaunching the heartburn remedy Rolaids.

"We plan to relaunch the product, which has been absent of the American markets for production problems on the side of J&J," he told analysts. "We intend to launch the product by the end of 2013, which will further accelerate the performance of Chattem in the United States."

ATLANTA — For the week ended Feb. 2, influenza activity remained elevated in the United States but decreased in most areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. According to CDC's activity level map, it appears most incidence is concentrated across the central United States, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. 

MONMOUTH BEACH, N.J. — A new switch paradigm could open the door to $35.7 billion in OTC opportunity, according to a new report recently released by Francesco International.