ALSO NOTED: High-dose Celebrex triples heart risk; Actos slows plaque buildup in arteries;

> Patients taking the largest dose of Pfizer's painkiller Celebrex, 400 mg twice a day, tripled their chance of heart attack or stroke compared with placebo, according to a new study presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting. Report [1]

> Takeda's Actos slowed the progression of arterial plaque buildup, becoming the first type 2 diabetes med to reduce progression of coronary atherosclerosis, a new study showed. Report [2]

> Stunned by a report that doctors are needlessly prescribing brand-name drugs, France is considering setting up a force of 1,700 anti-drug reps to counteract sales pressure with "objective" information. A bill that would set up a similar force in the U.S. is pending in Congress. Report [3]

> ING started its analyst coverage of GlaxoSmithKline with a 'buy' rating and a prediction that new CEO Andrew Witty would bring a fresh strategic approach to the company. Report [4]

> Doctors called Merck's online promotions the best of their kind, with GlaxoSmithKline coming in second, a Verispan survey showed. Report [5]

> Boston Scientific is selling off its endovascular aortic repair program for $30 million to a Santa Rosa, CA-based investor group. Report [6]

> Dr Reddy's Laboratories has agreed to buy part of Dow Chemical's pharmaceuticals business in a bid to boost its custom manufacturing services. Report [7]

> Pliva CFO Ivan Mijatovic has been appointed senior vice president for corporate development of parent company Barr Pharmaceuticals. Report [8]

> Medco Health Solutions is partnering with the Swedish government on a prescription review program designed to prevent medication errors. Report [9]

> Struggling to right itself after a long dry spell in new drug approvals, Eli Lilly is preparing to a launch a late-stage study of an experimental drug for Alzheimer's. Report [10]

> In a head-to-head study, the new antiplatelet drug prasugrel (being developed by Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo) in combination with aspirin outperformed [11] the standard therapy, clopidogrel (Plavix) with aspirin. Report [10]

> In a possible boon to the biotech industry, the SBA is looking to hike research grants to small U.S. businesses. Report [12]

And Finally... Scientists are studying whether fasting can protect healthy cells against chemotherapy, making cancer treatment more effective. Report [13]