Wednesday's Healthcare Winners & Losers

A slew of regulatory approvals and a bit of upbeat analysis weren't enough to save the biotech sector from a sluggish Wednesday. Here are a few stocks that made headlines -- if not money.

A few FDA approvals to start off the new year:

Becton Dickinson's(BDX Quote) BD Diagnostics segment said on Wednesday that it received approval for its rapid blood test for staph infections. The test identifies staphylococcus aureus (SA) and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Shares rose $2, or 2.4%, to $85.57.

Also on Wednesday afternoon, Teva(TEVA Quote) announced it got approval to market the generic version of Dey's bronchodilator, DuoNeb, an inhaler for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The brand product had annual sales of about $265 million in the U.S. for the twelve months ended Sept. 30, based on IMS sales data. Teva said it will begin shipping the product immediately. Shares were trading up 45 cents, or 0.97%, at 46.93. The stock is a component of the Amex Pharmaceutical index, which was down 2.73, or 0.81%, at 335.79.

DepoMed(DEPO Quote) got approval for its Glumetza, extended release metformin tablets, for patients with type II diabetes. Extended release Glumetza is in 1000 mg tablets, compared to the original Glumetza 500 mg tablets.

The company and its commercial supplier, Biovail(BVF Quote), plan to make the extended release formulation available soon. DepoMed edged up 11 cents, or 3.4%, to $3.37, but then gave it all back. Biovail initially added 21 cents moving up to $13.66, but also turned south with the rest of the market by dropping 5 cents.