> The FDA has approved UCB's monoclonal antibody Cimzia for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease. Cimzia's approval was delayed last year when the FDA demanded that UCB conduct another trial of the drug. UCB release
> New York-based Emiliem has signed a licensing agreement with the NIH for the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize a series of compounds that modulate key biological pathways known to be important in the progression of cancer and other proliferative and inflammatory diseases. Emiliem release
> MacroChem has acquired Virium Pharmaceuticals and will issue 23 million shares of common stock to Virium shareholders. Virium has a number of clinical-stage oncology drug candidates. MacroChem release
> FDA Commissioner Andy von Eschenbach found himself in the hot seat again as Congress grilled him about foreign oversight and scolded him for safety lapses that occurred on his watch. Report
> Though drugmakers have been reporting increases to their bottom lines, investors are looking past the foreign-currency gains and one-time earnings boosts to the fundamental problems the industry faces. Report
> Now that its Pristiq antidepressant is finally approved, Wyeth is offering a cut-rate price to woo patients over from Effexor XR. Wyeth report
And Finally... By one estimate, CROs will see their contract research operations swell from $7 billion in 2006 to $19 billion in 2013 as more and more biotech companies turn to them to manage drug trials. But as the work of the CROs grows, so do concerns over the quality of the research work they manage. CRO report