> According to a report that looked at all "industry-sponsored" Phase II through IV studies between October 2005 and September 2007, most registered trials on the public clinical trial registry, www.ClinicalTrials.gov, were in oncology and a mere six therapeutic areas accounted for nearly 70 percent of studies. Report
> Eli Lilly has funded a new study of over 1,000 men from 10 countries and says that the popular drug, Cialis, is might reduce some of the urinary symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate. Release
> Clinical trials in one hospital in India have led to 49 infant deaths in 30 months, raising serious ethical concerns for the country, which is an increasingly popular clinical trial locale. Report
> Pharmacy benefits manager, Medco Health Solutions, will work with the FDA to examine personalized medicine, providing two years' data on pharmacogenomics. Release
> In another direct-to-consumer advertising ploy, AstraZeneca and MedImmune took out a full-page, color ad in the New York Times to promote its inhaled vaccine, FluMist. Report
> After having trimmed the law firm fat on having nearly 100 outside law firms in the past, Pfizer is again taking steps to consolidate legal costs. Report
> Vertex and partner Johnson & Johnson have struck agreements with regulators on both sides of the Atlantic for a new Phase III trial of the closely-watched telaprevir for hepatitis C. Release
> Anyone looking for a peek at the top young minds in biotechnology should check out this year's list of the 35 most innovative young scientists in the U.S. from MIT Technology Review. Report
> Shares of New York-based Omrix Biopharmaceuticals shot up on a report in the Israeli-based Globes that a New York hedge fund had offered to acquire the biotech company for $25 a share--a 13 percent premium on its Friday close. Report
> PreMD CEO Brent Norton told the wire services that the company is "facing some tough decisions" after learning that the FDA had upheld ts earlier decision to reject the expanded use of its skin cholesterol test. Report
> Pipex Pharmaceuticals has acquired oral dnaJP1, a once-daily candidate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis which has completed a 160 patient Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Report
And finally... A Minnesota family is fighting for the right to have their 16-year-old son receive an experimental drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, PTC124, after PTC employees apparently backed out on their word to include the boy in clinical trials. Report