Metabasis CEO resigns; Schering-Plough gets drug candidates from China;

> Paul Laikind, Ph.D. has resigned as Metabasis Therapeutics' president and chief executive officer to pursue other opportunities. Dr. Laikind will continue to serve as a member of the board of directors. Mark D. Erion, Ph.D., chief scientific officer and executive vice president of research and development and a member of Metabasis' board of directors, has been named president, chief executive officer and chief scientific officer. Release [1]

> Huya Bioscience says it has forged a deal to provide Schering-Plough with drug development candidates from China. Release [2]

> The FDA has provided a green light to Athersys to test its stem cell therapy for strokes caused by blocked blood vessels. Report [3]

> Eisai announced that the FDA had approved Lusedra (fospropofol disodium) Injection, an intravenous sedative-hypnotic agent for monitored anesthesia care sedation in adult patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. Release [4]

> More dissension in the ranks at Elan: A major shareholder is calling on the board of directors to give CEO Kelly Martin (photo [5]) the boot. Report [6]

> We've heard a fair amount this year about negative drug studies that go unpublished [7]. And now there's more. Report [8]

> AstraZeneca has inked a big outsourcing deal with India's Infosys, which will maintain IT systems for manufacturing, supply chain, finance, human resources and more. Report [9]

> You can almost hear the celebrations at Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis. The two companies saw a U.S. appeals court put its backing behind patent protection for the companies' blockbuster blood-thinning drug Plavix. Report [10]

> Wyeth's hormone replacement therapies got a double ding in the news today: Congressional investigators are looking into the drugmaker's use of ghostwriters; and at the breast cancer symposium over the weekend, researchers drew further connections between hormone replacement and the disease. Report [11]

And Finally... Public confidence in the honesty of scientists is being harmed by a small minority of researchers who behave badly, a conference recently heard. Release [12]