Stara Technologies said Friday it has created a miniature parachute to drop medical supplies such as Avian flu medications to infected areas, reducing the risk to those who would otherwise deliver the supplies in person.

The company said the chute could be a great asset to FEMA in the event of an Avian Flu outbreak. The company’s Guided Resupply System can drop between 50 and 100 pounds of medical supplies from airplanes flying over an infected area. The parachute can also make a delivery within 75 feet of its target without any human intervention.

Counterfeit Drug Campaign

London research firm Merck, Sharp & Dohme said Friday its survey showed only 2 percent of people in the United Kingdom believed prescription-only medicines might be counterfeit.

After interviewing more than 1,000 people, the company launched a campaign to raise attention to the risks of counterfeit drugs, and the associated dangers of buying prescription-only drugs from unregulated Internet sites.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates more than 10 percent of the global medicine supply chain is counterfeit. Some countries see counterfeit drugs making up as much as 25 percent of their drug supply, said the firm.

St. Jude Advances on ANS

St. Jude Medical said Friday the German Federal Cartel Office approved its $1.3-billion acquisition of Advanced Neuromodulation Systems.

On October 18, St. Jude offered to buy ANS at $61.25 per share (see St. Jude’s $1.3B Acquisition). The shares rose $0.07 to $61.17 in recent trading on Nasdaq, more than twice the 52-week low of $26.52 at the end of March.

The European green light marks the last regulatory approval St. Jude must obtain to go forward with the deal. ANS designs implantable systems that use electronic stimulation to manage chronic pain and other disorders of the central nervous system.

Ortho Evra Warning

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned the Ortho Evra birth control patch exposes women to higher amounts of estrogen than some other contraceptive methods.

The agency slapped a new label on the product that said women who use it are exposed to about 60 percent more estrogen than if they were taking a typical birth control pill containing 35 micrograms of estrogen. Ortho Evra was the first skin patch approved for birth control.

In general, increased estrogen exposure may increase the risk of blood clots. However, it is not known whether women using Ortho Evra are at a greater risk of that.

Pharmaxis Raises $63M

Australian pharmaceutical company Pharmaxis said Friday it raised $63 million by selling 39.4 million shares of stock, including 1.3 million American Depositary Shares.

In the United States, the shares were sold to institutional investors for $24.16 each. Each ADS represents 15 ordinary shares for the company. The money will be used for bringing to market the company’s lead products, Aridol, an asthma management drug, and Bronchitol, which targets cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Align Suit Moves Forward

Dental product maker Align Technology said its court case against competitor OrthoClear will move forward after a San Francisco judge limited counterclaims filed in the Superior Court suit.

After reviewing 19 causes of action, the court cut them down to 12. Out of the remaining 12 claims, OrthoClear is required to either drop them or state valid claims against Align. Align could then challenge the amended claims.