> Merck's decision to pump $300 million into an expansion of its Durham, NC vaccine facility is seen by analysts as part of a coordinated effort to solidify a leading role in a booming global vaccines market. Report
> Researchers are trying to find out why a vaccine for Alzheimer's would be able to eliminate the beta-amyloid plaque long considered responsible for the disease without actually curing the disease. Report
> Sanofi-Aventis' Taxotere got shot down by the CHMP. The agency recommended against using the drug to treat HER2 positive breast cancer. Report
> The EMEA restricting the use of antibiotics based on moxifloxacin--marketed by Bayer under the name Avelox--because of the potential risk of liver damage, and also wants strengthened warnings. Report
> Bayer tapped a Pfizer executive, Andreas Fibig, as the new CEO of its prescription drug subsidiary Bayer Schering Pharma, replacing Arthur Higgins, who will continue to head up the company's healthcare business. Report
> Hear that whistling sound past your ears? It's a Medicare Part D windfall--or so says a House committee report released yesterday. Report
> Merck and Schering-Plough have put together a "Dear Doctor" letter about the results of the SEAS trial that were released earlier this week. Report
And Finally... Residents of East Cambridge, Massachusetts are opposing the planned Alexandria Real Estate Equities' $1 biotech billion lab. Report