@FierceBiotech: Departing Pfizer researchers will get shriveled severance checks. Item | Follow @FierceBiotech
@JohnCFierce: Merck stands by R&D plans, writes off $1.7B on vorapaxar snafu. Report | Follow @JohnCFierce
> The FDA has approved Makena, a treatment to reduce the risk of preterm birth in women with a singleton pregnancy who have a history of singleton spontaneous preterm birth. Release
> Palo Alto, CA-based Anacor has dosed its first patient in a Phase IIB trial of its psoriasis treatment AN2728. Item
> Scientists at the University of Manchester have found that the clotting agent protein heparan cofactor II/Thrombin (HCII/T) complex can be used as a biomarker for mucopolysaccharide diseases, which can be fatal. University of Manchester release
> Increasingly, e-clinical applications are leaving proprietary coding behind them in favor of more openly available code. One advocate of the open approach is the National Cancer Institute. Its cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid, which links researchers, physicians, and patients, is built on open-source principles. Report
> Security and compliance matters have driven Merck to adopt a company-wide web-based security platform and automated compliance system. The drug giant chose CA Technologies as systems vendor. Article
And Finally... The worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980, according to a major study on how three important heart disease risk factors have changed across the world over the last three decades. Article