I realize it's become a bit of a tired tagline, but through the magic of live webcasts what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas. This morning Dendreon was first at bat at the Bank of America Healthcare Conference in Sin City.

So, I admit I watched a lot of television last night and saw a commercial for a relatively new osteoporosis-breast cancer prevention combo drug from Eli Lilly called Evista. Actually, I saw it three times.

Occasionally -- when the bosses will let me -- I take a day to network, learn and maybe pick up a story idea by attending a biotech or healthcare investment conference. Many firms put on the events for their clients and they often invite reporters to hang out. ... The PR guy told me a couple of sessions during the day would be "closed" to me. It wasn't clear what the closed sessions were all about, and so my curiousity was piqued...

Amgen is in major belt-tightening mode. Still it held its annual shareholder shindig at the swanky Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village, CA. The 400-500 investors who showed up were treated to valet parking, soft drinks, and a nice spread of cheeses, vegetable crudite, fruit and sweets

There's no money left under the pillow, but Amgen execs and directors have been handed a gift. One of the most outspoken, large, individual investors in the biotech company who's been calling for the Board and CEO to go won't be attending its annual shareholder meeting after all.

After the closing bell yesterday, Merck announced that it plans to get rid of 12-hundred or around 15 percent of its sales reps. Like Schering-Plough, the company is having to adjust to lower sales of its Vytorin and Zetia cholesterol drugs and on top of that the Food and Drug...