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

> 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

> 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

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

> For the first time, the British government has released safety statistics on the Pfizer smoking cessation med Champix, known as Chantix 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

> 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

> 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

> 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

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