The majority of Americans want to be vaccinated against swine flu, polls show. But unless you're in a high-risk group, such as expectant mothers, you may not get any vaccine anytime soon. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the current tide of H1N1 influenza is likely to begin to ebb before the shortage of vaccine eases. Meanwhile, the toll from the virus keeps climbing, with deaths from H1N1 in the United States having likely reached 4,000, of which 540 are children.

There are several reasons for the worrisome vaccine shortage. The federal government ordered enough vaccine to immunize nearly the entire nation. But deliveries have been slow, to name one big problem. Perhaps more frustrating to many on the front lines of fighting the virus is that the shortage would ease considerably if the U.S. simply embraced an enhanced version of the vaccine. But so far, U.S. regulatory authorities -- unlike their counterparts in Europe -- haven't taken the steps to make this happen.

Not two months after the Swiss start-up Cytos's experimental anti-smoking vaccine failed in a mid-stage study, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (NABI) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have signed a licensing agreement for Nabi's own anti-smoking vaccine, NicVAX. The deal, which could potentially be worth more than half a billion dollars, helped push NABI shares 25% higher.

NicVAX is an experimental therapy for the treatment of nicotine addiction and the prevention of smoking relapse. The vaccine is designed to stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies that bind to the nicotine molecules. Once bound together, they are too large to cross the blood-brain barrier. In this way, the nicotine is blocked from reaching the receptors in the brain that cause the highly-addictive pleasure sensation experienced by smokers and users of nicotine products. When nicotine is prevented from supplying them the sensation they crave, smokers have an easier time kicking the habit.

The U.S. may worry about having enough H1N1 vaccine to protect its population from swine flu, but at least it's getting precious doses. Many developing countries, which can't afford the sometimes expensive medication, don't have any at all.

That may change soon. The U.K.'s GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said Tuesday it will donate 50 million doses of its H1N1 influenza vaccine to developing countries most in need through the World Health Organization. Initial shipments will start by the end of November with shipments to be completed by May 2010, the WHO said. GlaxoSmithKline's move comes as several other pharmaceuticals have pledged similar measures.

Ever since China loosened its trade restrictions with the West, companies have jumped head-first into the Communist-run state, hoping to capitalize on selling products to the planet's most populous nation. Pharmaceutical companies have been no different, but at a somewhat more subdued rate because China's health-care system has been less developed.

Now, though, just when reform is looming for the U.S. health-care system, which could potentially slow pharmaceutical sales (at least in the short term), China is starting to push health care into growth mode. And Swiss-based Novartis (NVS) is one drugmaker that intends to capitalize on it.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), despite all its efforts and diversification, couldn't escape doing what most pharmaceutical companies have done in the face of increasing pressures from generic-drug companies and the recession. J&J said on Tuesday it plans to cut 6 percent to 7 percent of its workforce of approximately 117,000 in a bid to prop up profits.

The New Brunswick, N.J.-based company said the cuts, mostly achieved through reducing layers of management, will affect some 7,000 to 8,000 worldwide. But today is Election Day in the company's base state, and one cannot help but wonder if the timing of such an announcement from one of the largest private employers in New Jersey isn't politically motivated in support of the challengers in the three-way race for governor, or at least against the Democratic incumbent, Jon Corzine.

Back in early July, Human Genome Sciences Inc. (HGSI) shares jumped over 230 percent in one day after the pharmaceutical company said its experimental lupus drug had succeeded in a late-stage clinical trial, silencing many of its skeptics. If you decided then that a 230 percent move was all that HGSI shares had in them, you didn't anticipate today's 30-plus percent rise.

On Monday, Human Genome announced that its experimental lupus drug Benlysta was successful in a second large, late-stage clinical trial, which was needed for the company to file for FDA approval of the treatment. If approved, Benlysta would the first new treatment for the disease in 50 years.

Human Genome Sciences (HGSI) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) say their experimental lupus drug passed another key treatment goal and they plan on asking for regulatory approval in the first half of 2010.

Wall Street and researchers anticipated study data from Bliss-76, hoping it would confirm positive results from a prior late-stage study. Benlysta is aimed at suppressing the immune system's response to lupus, which is an inflammatory disease prompting the body to attack its own tissue and organs.

Ford Motor Co. (F) is no doubt this morning's story. The automaker, the only one of the Big Three American car manufacturers that didn't take a direct government bailout and stayed out of bankruptcy protection, reported a surprising $1 billion profit Monday morning. Ford reported net income of $997 million, or 29 cents per share. On an adjusted basis, Ford reported a quarterly pretax profit of $1.1 billion, or 26 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $3 billion or $1.32. This handily beat analyst estimates ranging from 12 to 20 cents loss per share. Ford still faces obstacles in its turnaround, but so far proved to be able to weather the storm and, in fact raised its own forecast from a break-even or better 2011 to "solidly profitable" 2011. Shares of Ford shot up over 8 percent in pre-market trading.