Remicade boosts Crohn's drug regimen; Perrigo buys Mexican drugmaker for $25M;

> Adding Johnson & Johnson's blockbuster drug Remicade to another drug for Crohn's disease was more effective at achieving remission of the gastrointestinal condition than either drug alone, according to a J&J-funded study. Report [1]

> Anyone looking for signs of how the financial crisis can affect the biopharma industry should check out the interview Schering-Plough CEO Fred Hassan (photo [2]) gave to the Wall Street Journal. Report [3]

> Perrigo said it has acquired Laboratorios Diba, a store-brand manufacturer of over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals based in Guadalajara, Mexico, for $25 million in cash. Perrigo release [4]

> Amgen tapped former Citigroup banker Francois de Carbonnel to serve on its board; the 61-year-old spent seven years at Citigroup and now serves as chairman of French electronics firm Thomson SA. Amgen release [5]

> Bethesda, MD-based Micromet has closed its previously-announced $40 million private placement financing. Micromet report [6]

> Major Japanese drugmaker Shionogi & Co. said Monday that its tender offer for Sciele Pharma Inc. of the United States has ended in success; Shionogi will accept additional shares through Wednesday. Shionogi and Sciele release [7]

> Drug researcher and blogger Derek Lowe has some interesting thoughts on the future of drug discovery. With the easiest types of research projects headed overseas, U.S. researchers will be left to deal with the toughest jobs. Report [8]

> Spiriva, marketed by Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim, offered no advantage over an inhaled placebo for moderate-to-very-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, researchers reported on Sunday. Report [9]

> Sun Pharmaceuticals's subsidiary, Alkaloida Chemical Company, has extended its tender offer for Taro Pharmaceuticals until November 7, 2008, according to a statement released today. Report [10]

> The FDA and Big Pharma have more in common than we thought: They both tapped the same PR firm, Qorvis Communications, to improve their reputations. Report [11]

> Genentech is teaming up with Roche and its subsidiary GlycArt to develop GlycArt's GA101 molecule, a humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody being developed as a treatment for hematological malignancies and other oncology related B-cell disorders like non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Report [12]

> Specialist pharma company Norgine resigned from the U.K. pharma association ABPI, saying the trade body is only concerned with protecting the interests of larger drug companies. Report [13]

> Biogen Idec may join the exodus of biotech companies [14] leaving Cambridge, MA and move its corporate HQ on out to the suburbs. CEO Jim Mullen (photo [15]) says there's a pretty simple reason why the biotech giant may relocate to Weston: money. Biogen Idec report [16]

> Celgene said its oral cancer drug Revlimid received Health Canada's marketing approval for use in combination with dexamethasone as a treatment for subjects with multiple myeloma. Celgene release [17]

> Why the bidding war for ImClone, considering that Erbitux [18] has failed to live up to its early billing? BusinessWeek concludes that the answer lies in ImClone's oncology pipeline. ImClone report [19]

> Crucell has nailed a $70 million contract from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop new vaccines to combat the Ebola and Marburg viruses. That contract will be worth $30 million initially with another $40 million in options. Crucell report [20]

Expert Advice: CEOs share lessons learned in biotech [21]

And Finally... Could reading the right novel help obese kids lose weight? Report [22]