> Takeda Pharmaceutical said Chairman Kunio Takeda would step down June 25 when his board term ends. Report
> Glenmark Pharmaceuticals got the tentative FDA nod for its version of the Merck/Schering-Plough cholesterol fighter Zetia (ezetimbe). Report
> UBS upgraded AstraZeneca to "buy" from "neutral," saying that valuation for the company and Euro-pharm in general are at historic lows. Report
> Ranbaxy Laboratories reported a consolidated net loss of 7.61 billion rupees ($153.1 million) for the first quarter, hurt by currency fluctuations, a U.S. ban on some of its drugs and the global slowdown. Report
> The FDA approved limited use of a Medtronic device that sends electrical signals to the brain to ease the symptoms of severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Report
> Celgene said its board of directors authorized a $500 million share-repurchase program to extend through April 2011. Celgene release
> Contract manufacturer Lonza says it has felt "no negative impact" from the economic crisis and that demand from clients remains strong. Report
> Statins may protect men against prostate cancer and other urological problems, a new study suggests. Report
> There's been plenty of new data on hepatitis C drugs coming from the 44th Annual European Association for the Study of the Liver meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark. Report
> Novo Nordisk has won a key vote by a European expert panel supporting its application for the diabetes drug liraglutide. Report
> Hard on the heels of some disappointing late-stage data regarding its lead therapy, San Diego-based Arena Pharmaceuticals is axing 130 staffers--close to a third of its total workforce. Report
> Johnson & Johnson and Schering-Plough have won FDA approval for Simponi (golimumab), an injectable biologic drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Report
> Health officials are starting to scramble as it appears that a new strain of swine flu has triggered an outbreak in Mexico and raises the prospect of a global pandemic. Report
And Finally... Children on medicine for attention deficit disorder scored higher on academic tests than their unmedicated peers in the first large, long-term study suggesting this kind of benefit. Report