Federal Equipment News & Notes

Merck and Schering-Plough Developing Cholesterol-Lowering Combination
Merck and Schering-Plough plan to develop a cholesterol-lowering product combining ezetimibe
(Merck/Schering-Plough’s Zetia) and atorvastatin (Pfizer’s Lipitor), to be launched as atorvastatin’s
patent expires.

Data From Pfizer Pill Study Keep CETP Inhibitors in Play
In a pivotal trial, Pfizer’s CETP inhibitor, torcetrapib, failed to slow progression of coronary
atherosclerosis and was linked to raised blood pressure, leading to its abandonment and raising
worries about other CETP inhibitors. Now, a new report sheds some light on why torcetrapib failed.

“Project Jim”: 454 Sequences James Watson’s Double Helix
454, a next-generation sequencing company in Connecticut, says it has essentially completed
sequencing the genome of James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953.

Beckman Coulter Acquiring Proteomics Diagnostics Firm Biosite
Beckman Coulter will acquire all of Biosite’s outstanding common stock in a cash tender offer of
$85.00 per share, making it worth approximately $1.55 billion on a fully diluted share basis.

Biomarkers versus Blockbusters: Has Pharma Changed Its Approach Yet?
Is the blockbuster finally doomed? At CHI’s Translational Medicine meeting, panelists debated
the blockbuster’s future. The discussion showed how much controversy and uncertainty surrounds
this question.

Eli Lilly Expanding Its Singapore R&D Activities
Eli Lilly has announced a $150M expansion of its Lilly Centre for Systems Biology in Singapore, to
take place over five years. The project is a partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board.