> Despite the economic slowdown, Washington state biotechs are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new facilities. Report
> Merck CEO Dick Clark worried publicly about the media at a Morgan Stanley conference yesterday. In response to a question about the negative bent to Merck coverage these days, Clark said Merck and pharma as a whole both need to "do a better job...I don't think we're aggressive enough in getting our stories out there. Merck Report
> Chutes & Ladders: NeuroMetrix's CEO Gary L. Gregory is leaving the company to pursue new professional opportunities. Release
> Researchers for Sweden's Independent Pharmaceutica are launching a mid-stage study of a new nicotine vaccine designed to help people give up smoking. Vaccine report
> A team of researchers at Emory University and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has found a way to radically upend the way new vaccines are developed to fight a pandemic. Report
> A large group of American parents are having a tough time keeping up with their kids' vaccination schedules. Report
> Enbrel's new black box is now official. Wyeth and Amgen have put the final touches on a boxed warning about tuberculosis and other life-threatening illness; the label states that patients using the drug have contracted infections that led to hospitalization and death. Enbrel report
> Next week, Rep. Bart Stupak will preside over testimony from Pfizer, Merck, Schering-Plough, and Johnson & Johnson at the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations' hearing on direct-to-consumer ads. Report
And Finally... A federal advisory panel is calling for closer regulation of companies that provide genetic tests. Report