> Prokom Investments says it is planning to sell its stake in Bioton to Polpharma. Report
> Steve Lombardi has been named CEO of Helicos BioSciences. Release
> Alseres Pharmaceuticals says that it will consolidate its offices to a new headquarters in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Release
> Germany's Riemser Arzneimittel has made a move into Durham, NC through the acquisition of a division of Curasan. Report
> Tiny nanotubes were used to precisely deliver a concentrated payload of chemotherapy directly to the site of a tumor, according to a team of scientists at Stanford University. Report
> The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has handed out $59 million in research grants to 23 young scientists. Report
> The National Institutes of Health told staffers last week that it is setting up a bone marrow-stem cell transplant center within the National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, according to an article in Wired. Report
> The pharmaceutical benefits manager Medco Health Solutions is partnering with the FDA to examine how genetic testing is coming into play to determine the right drug or dose for a patient. Release
> A survey released yesterday shows a drop in employment of 1 percent in 2007 from the previous year across the 22 members of the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey, which include companies like Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Roche. Report
> In another whodunit case, the state of Texas is trying to determine if pharma companies paid researchers inappropriate, but legal, fees to get drugs on a list of preferred psychiatric medications for children. Report
> In a very seemingly shifty move back in 1999, Merck apparently provided financial incentives to 600 physicians to recruit patients into a study called ADVANTAGE. Report
> FDA is upping the label ante on Byetta, the diabetes drug that Eli Lilly and Amylin Pharmaceuticals developed and market, following reports of deaths in patients taking the drug. Report
> AVOS Life Sciences has created a new analysis using a term called a "replacement ratio," which they say is a direct measure of R&D productivity. According to the analysis, Schering-Plough is most likely to recover quickly with the most potential in the pipeline. Report
And Finally... Johnson & Johnson has found that helping nurse China's antiquities to health has helped it gain favor with the country's authoritarian regime. Article