ALSO NOTED: Sanofi-Aventis mulls BMS bid; FDA fast tracks Nuvelo therapy; and much more...

> A week after seeing its stock price battered on the news that preliminary data showed that AGI-1067 failed a large international trial, AtheroGenics made the case that the anti-inflammatory drug did hit secondary endpoints and could be used for other indications. Report

> The board of France's Sanofi-Aventis is reportedly split over the idea of making a bid for Bristol-Myers Squibb. Report

> Shares of Nuvelo soared this morning after the company announced that its colon cancer therapy rNAPc2 was put on the FDA's fast track as a first-line and second-line therapy. Release

> Acuity Pharmaceuticals and Froptix, have merged into the public shell company eXegenics, which will be renamed Opko. Report

> Chutes & Ladders: Still reeling from the recent failure of its brain cancer therapy in a late-stage study, NeoPharm announced it is replacing CEO Guillermo Herrera with biotech veteran Laurence Birch. Report

> Barrier Therapeutics announced positive results for a Phase IIb trial of Pramiconazole, an experimental oral antifungal previously called Azoline. Report

> BrainCells announced the formation of a research collaboration with H. Lundbeck in which BCI will use its proprietary neurogenesis-based technology to screen central nervous system targets and compounds. Release

> After extending its review of Sanofi-Aventis' obesity drug Acomplia, the agency has set a review date of June 13 on the closely-watched therapy. Report

> Belgium's ThromboGenics said that Global Opportunities Capital Asset Management, also known as GO Capital, a Dutch-based asset manager, has acquired 1.2 million shares in the company, representing approximately 5.4 percent of its outstanding shares. Release

> An early-stage trial of a groundbreaking adult stem cell therapy for heart disease has garnered data that suggests it helps patients recover from heart surgery. Report

> A group of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say that string-like nanoparticles survive longer than spherically shaped nanoparticles, which leads them to believe that the right shape is a key concern in designing new delivery vehicles for drugs. Report

And Finally… A major new study concludes that heart stents provided patients a short-term advantage over a drug regimen in improving blood flow and chest pains, but that the advantages disappear over time. Also, stents did no better than drugs in preventing heart attacks and deaths. Article