ALSO NOTED: Abbott's Xience shows well against Boston Sci stent;AstraZeneca nabs new indication for Seroquel

> Abbott Laboratories' waiting-in-the-U.S.-wings stent, Xience, is as safe as and perhaps more effective than the current market leader made by Boston Scientific, according to new data presented at a European conference. Though not yet approved in the U.S., Xience is on the market in Europe. Report [1] | Report [2]

> AstraZeneca got the FDA's blessing to market its antipsychotic Seroquel as an add-on maintenance med for bipolar disorder. Release [3]

> The FDA has eased restrictions on two drugs used to clarify ultrasound images, lifting a ban on administering them to acutely ill patients; Definity and Optison will still carry black-box warnings, however. Report [4]

> Ex-Pfizer CEO Hank McKinnell joined the board of directors at specialty drug- and device-maker Angiotech Pharmaceuticals. Release [5]

> Novo Nordisk got the FDA nod for its new hemophilia treatment NovoSeven RT. Report [6]

> Lundbeck launched its Circadin insomnia drug in Germany. Report [7]

> FDA warned Novartis for omitting the risks of Trileptal, an epilepsy treatment, from a promotional magnet. Report [8]

> GlaxoSmithKline's Indian subsidiary inked a deal to co-promote Daiichi Sankyo's blood pressure remedy Olmesartan and its combo products. Report [9]

> HollisterStier wrapped up two big construction projects that will expand its ability for analytical testing and contract manufacturing. Report [10]

Biotech News

> One of the great pioneers of the British biotech industry, Sir Chris Evans, is fretting that turmoil in the public markets will have a particularly harsh affect on drug discovery work in Europe. Report [11]

> A month after Schering-Plough pulled the plug on its collaboration with Novacea for a new prostate cancer therapy--Asentar--the little biotech company announced that it will cut its work force by more than half. Report [12]

> The little Maryland-based vaccine developer Iomai is being bought out by Intercell for about $189 million. Buyout report [13]

> Vaptans are a new class of drug that target a wide variety of conditions by inhibiting vasopressin, which regulates the circulatory system. Report [14]

> Stem cell researchers at Cornell have genetically engineered a human embryo, a pioneering development that was immediately condemned as a big step toward designing babies. Report [15]

And Finally… Imagine employing a legion of gaming fanatics to channel their obsession into finding solutions to some of the thorniest problems in protein chemistry. That's what biochemist David Baker and a small group of colleagues did in creating Foldit, which challenges gamers to see if they can improve the 3-D structures of proteins. Report [16]