Merck will acquire Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc., through a tender offer for all outstanding common stock of Inspire at a price of $5.00 per share in cash, a 26% premium to the closing price of Inspire’s common stock on April 4, 2011. Meantime, Akorn, Inc. will acquire Advanced Vision Research, Inc. (AVR), for $26 million in cash. Once the acquisition of AVR is complete, Akorn plans to expand by launching a new Consumer Health Division, licensing new products and developing private label eye care products for major retailers.

The Vision Council and Prevent Blindness America (PBA) have joined forces to encourage Americans to protect their eyes from UV radiation by supporting national “Don’t Fry Day” (Friday before Memorial Day), designated by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention. PBA offers www.preventblindness.org/uv, a website dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of UV.

Pacific University’s College of Optometry has established the Dr. Robert M. Lohr Scholarship Fund in honor of the late alumnus. The fund will support a student who is pursuing a career in optometry after being employed in a different profession, just as Dr. Lohr had done after starting out as a pharmacist.