> PPD has announced new plans to expand. The CRO is adding 250 new jobs in Ireland and a new lab is being opened in Singapore. Release | Story
> Other big pharma companies may be backing away from cardiovascular programs, but GlaxoSmithKline is still willing to bet big on the field, reports Pharmalot. Report
> Adolor has shelved its plans to develop alvimopan to treat chronic OBD, citing the cost and timeline for an additional Phase III study in light of the remaining commercial life for the drug. Instead, says the developer, it will turn its focus to ADL7445, a second peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist. ADL7445 is on track for submission of an investigational new drug application in mid-2009. Adolor release
> Avigen has sold the rights to its early stage blood coagulation compound, AV513, to Baxter Healthcare Corporation, a global leader in hemophilia therapy, for $7 million. Avigen release
> ARYx Therapeutics says that two doses of its mid-stage heart therapy produced positive results. The 400 mg and 600 mg doses of ATI-2042 reduced the time that a patient experienced atrial fibrillation. Release
> Hot on the heels of the announcement that another Tysabri patient had developed PML, researchers suggest Tysabri could be made safer and more effective if patients would take treatment "holidays," rather than using the drug continuously over long periods of time. Report
> Deutsche Bank analyst Barbara Ryan proposed a Pfizer-Amgen combo, becoming the third industry watcher to float that particular trial balloon. Today, BNet's Jim Edwards asks, "why not?" If you're a fan of deal speculation--these are the things you should know. Report
> A Swedish anti-corruption prosecutor says he's launched a criminal probe of this year's Nobel Prize in medicine--sparked by allegations that AstraZeneca influenced the choice of Harald zur Hausen. Report
> We already know about the heated speculation on the identity of the next FDA commissioner. Now let's talk about the behind-the-scenes lobbying. Report
> EU custom officers seized 34 million counterfeit or illegal medicines in a coordinated operation by all 27 states, officials reported earlier this week. Report
> A research team at the University of Maryland has developed a universal flu vaccine that can also protect birds and mammals from avian flu. Report
> Researchers have finally figured out why a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine used in 1966 to innoculate children against the infection failed and caused severe respiratory disease. Report
And Finally... The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative is offering a $150,000 reward to researchers willing to tackle a key challenge in their R&D work. And the right answer could be worth a bonus of more than a million dollars along with a fresh supply of research funds. Report