Biotech & BioHealth Business Daily (PFE, MRK, BAX, BDSI, SPPI, GNBT, AVII, CEGE, BBH, GILD, LLY, SNY, BMY, OSIP)

Here are some of today’s top stories affecting key drug and biotech stocks, accompanied with links through to more detailed information and analysis at BioHealthInvestor.com:

New short-interest data suggest traders are now increasing their directional bets against biotech stocks. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) are in the top 10 of all large-cap stocks with the greatest increase in the number of shares shorted.

Eli Lilly has the FDA’s OK to market its Effient blood thinner, but the black-box warning on its label is so strong that it’s hard to believe it can dent the market share of the Sanofi Aventis (NYSE: SNY)/ Bristol Myers Inc. (NYSE: BMY) drug Plavix.

OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: OSIP) announced new data from its Phase III Saturn study of Tarceva, and it’s likely an incremental positive for the cancer drug over rival Eli Lilly & Co.’s (NYSE: LLY) drug Altima.

-The 24/7 Wall St. Team