ALSO NOTED: Shire nabs orphan product; New prez at Cell Therapeutics; and much more...

> Shire has acquired arylsulfatase, an orphan enzyme replacement therapy in Phase I/II for Metachromatic Leukodystrophy, from the Danish company Zymenex. Release

> Sepragen and Neugenesis are collaborate to develop a high-throughput, low-cost production platform for mAbs and vaccines for pandemic flu. Release

> Chutes & Ladders: Cell Therapeutics has named Craig W. Philips, the former vice president and general manager of Bayer Healthcare Oncology, as president. Report

> Are fault lines in the Merck/Schering-Plough joint venture beginning to open up? Report

> We love it when pharma CEOs depart from their usual talking points about financial results and restructurings and pipelines, to wax philosophical on their place in the word. This week, we heard an entire trio musing on the state of the industry: Merck chief Richard Clark, GlaxoSmithKline's putative chief Andrew Witty, and Pfizer's Jeff Kindler. Report

> Big Pharma is dragging its feet on conducting promised post-marketing studies. Report

> Schering-Plough CEO Fred Hassan got a $30M pay package. Report

And Finally... It may not be an ideal topic for polite conversation, but human beings are swarming with bacteria: Even the average healthy adult plays host to about 100 trillion microscopic organisms. Infection takes place when the bacteria get out of hand. Release