ALSO NOTED: U.S. hatches $265M regenerative medicine initiative; Merck KGaA budgets €1B for R&D;and much more...

> The U.S. government is creating a $265 million research initiative that will develop new stem cell technology to re-grow the skin, limbs and muscles of soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. And those advances in turn will be made available to the people burned and maimed in everyday accidents. Report [1]

> With about 40 drug development projects in the pipeline, Germany's Merck KGaA says it will spend about €1 billion on drug research this year. That R&D budget represents about 22 percent of sales and is a big increase on last year's budget of €890 million. Report [2]

> University of Cincinnati researcher Melissa DelBello is getting some added scrutiny after finding herself in Senator Charles Grassley's crosshairs. Report [3]

> Call it the blame game. The U.S. FDA says it's traced contaminated heparin back to 12 companies in China. Chinese officials, however, claim the problem started in the U.S. Report [4]

> To listen to news reports about incoming Biovail CEO Bill Wells, you'd think he was one of the horsemen of the Apocalypse. A director for three years, Wells is set to take over the helm May 1, and analysts say they're expecting him to come in swinging his sword. Report [5]

> A new guerilla marketing campaign for over-the-counter Zyrtec is gaining attention in the blogosphere. Report [6]

> Eye on FDA blogger Mark Senak examines recent goings-on at the FDA will change the agency. Report [7]

And Finally... Companies are using nanotechnology as they pursue genome sequencing for the rock-bottom price of $100. Report [8]