In brief: Sen. Bernie Sanders to annouce bid for president

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-avowed socialist and the longest-serving independent in congressional history, plans to announce Thursday a long-shot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

His decision would make him the first announced challenger to the party’s overwhelming 2016 front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton, but Sanders won’t necessarily be the last. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has been edging toward a run and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb has also been actively pursuing a possible White House bid.

Sanders plans to issue a statement Thursday signaling his intent to run and shortly after will file the needed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, according to a campaign adviser. A formal election kickoff is set for the end of May in Vermont.

Corporation to pay $2.4B in drug suit

TOKYO – Japan’s largest drugmaker, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., said today it has agreed to pay $2.4 billion to thousands of patients and their families over its diabetes drug Actos, which has been linked to cancer.

Takeda faces 9,000 product liability lawsuits in the U.S. in which the plaintiffs say the company failed to inform them of the drug’s cancer risks.

The company said today the settlement would resolve most of the lawsuits, though it does not admit liability.

The settlement will go into effect if 95 percent of the litigants agree to the deal, and the company would pay $2.37 billion. If the number of participants rises to 97 or more, Takeda will pay $2.4 billion.

Man shot, injured in Ferguson protest

FERGUSON, Mo. – A man was injured by gunfire during a protest in Ferguson, Missouri, and one person was taken into custody, according to a newspaper report.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that about 50 people gathered Tuesday night near the site where 18-year-old Michael Brown was fatally shot in August by a Ferguson police officer. The protest came as a much larger demonstration was ongoing in Baltimore for a second night over the death of Freddie Gray.

The newspaper reported the man was shot in the leg, and police who were on site took one person into custody and recovered a gun.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the shooting was related to the protest.