Crestor trial: 'A new age of statins?'; Merck commits to heart disease R&D;

> Crestor did it. In an 18,000-patient trial, the AstraZeneca statin proved dramatically effective at cutting the risk of heart attack and death among patients who seemed healthy but showed high levels of C-reactive protein, or CRP. The risk of a "hard cardiac event" was less than one percent for trial patients using Crestor and 1.8 percent for those on placebo. Report [1]

> Celgene has received the first FDA clearance for a clinical trial using placenta-derived stem cells. The trial is for PDA001, an immunomodulatory therapy for Chron's disease. It is expected to begin by the end of the year. Release [2]

> Addressing questions about the direction of its R&D efforts, Merck said it would not follow rival Pfizer out the door of the heart-disease laboratory. Report [3]

> Two Congressional bulldogs are playing King of the Hill. Reps. John Dingell [4] and Henry Waxman [5] are battling over the top slot at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, a key health policy committee. Report [6]

> For the first time, the British government has released safety statistics on the Pfizer smoking cessation med Champix, known as Chantix [7] in the U.S. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) released figures showing that 10 Champix patients committed suicide, and a total of 24 died. Report [8]

> The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) today celebrated the opening of a Vaccine Design and Development Laboratory in New York City, the only facility in the world exclusively devoted to the development of an AIDS vaccine. Release [9]

> Another day, another handful of potential healthcare and pharma watchdogs (not to mention a suggested to-do list). We take a look at the names to put on that list of folks we're sure you're keeping. Report [10]

> Targeted Genetics announced today that H. Stewart Parker, president and CEO, and Barrie J. Carter, executive vice president and chief scientific officer have resigned effective November 6, 2008. Release [11]

And Finally... New hope for an AIDS cure: An AIDS patient being treated for leukemia received a bone marrow transplant that may have cured him of the deadly disease. Report [12]