> Forest Laboratories and Gedeon Richter announced preliminary top-line results from a mid-stage clinical trial of the antipsychotic cariprazine showing that patients with acute manic episodes experienced significant symptom improvement. Release
> Even in this era of big pharma layoffs, a few companies are still adding jobs. Generics maker Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories is moving forward with its $22 expansion plan, which includes 600 new hires. Caraco report
> Belgium's ThromboGenics announced positive results from its MITI IV Phase II trial to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of microplasmin when administered intravenously to acute stroke patients. ThromboGenics release
> Cancer Research UK and Astex Therapeutics have forged a pact to develop a new cancer therapy. Release
> Q-Med AB and Medy-Tox, a pharmaceuticals company based in South Korea, have together decided to terminate the collaboration that the parties entered into during 2007. Release
> Last week, we showed you what happened with pharma's ad spending in 2007. Now, we're here to tell you what ad budgets look like in 2008: not good. Report
> Bayer has forged an alliance with Kentucky BioProcessing to develop new facilities for the production of drugs from tobacco plants. Bayer release
> The market has been gyrating for weeks now, and stocks plummeted yesterday, with the Dow posting its largest-ever single-day point loss. So can Roche buy Genentech in a crazy market? Report
> Potentia Pharmaceuticals reported that its lead drug candidate, POT-4, has shown early positive safety results in its Phase I study. Potentia relese
> Antigenics says that the FDA has granted the necessary permission to allow for the export of Oncophage (vitespen) to Russia. Antigenics release
> What's the cost of off-label marketing? For Cephalon, it's $425 million and a criminal misdemeanor plea, plus a promise to disclose payments to doctors. The drugmaker wrapped up its settlement of several long-running state and federal investigations. Cephalon report
And Finally... The research world will lose one of its most influential figures when the controversial Elias A. Zerhouni steps down as head of the National Institutes of Health at the end of October. The NIH has essentially kept funding flat during Zerhouni's stint at the NIH, and the research community has complained loud and long about the shrinking federal funds that are available for their work. Report