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

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

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

> 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

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

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 We've heard a fair amount this year about negative drug studies that go unpublished.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

> 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

> 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

> 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

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