> AstraZeneca asked FDA to approve broader use of its heartburn drug Nexium with a new indication for gastric and duodenal ulcers stemming from low-dose aspirin use. AstraZeneca release
> Dutch Health Minister Ab Klink wants drugmakers to publish all their payments to doctors and scientists in The Netherlands. Report
> India-based drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories is recalling all lots of Nitrofurantoin Capsules, an antibiotic, currently in the U.S. market. Report
> Kenya's pharma industry will see 150 percent growth in earnings over the next five years, largely because of growth in lifestyle diseases in the country. Report
> India's Jubilant Organosys won the FDA nod for its version of Bristol-Myers Squibb imaging agent Cardiolite (sestamibi). Report
> FDA warned consumers to stop using the popular Hydroxycut line of weight-loss products, citing reports of a death due to liver failure and other instances of serious health problems. Report
> VIA Pharmaceuticals has released results from a sub-study of patients taking VIA-2291, the company's Phase II lead drug. Report
> Here's some refreshing news: instead of cutting jobs like so many other biotechs, Cambridge, MA-based Acceleron announced that it will increase its workforce by more than 50 percent this year "to support the continuing growth of its R&D and manufacturing activities." Report
> Gainsville, FL-based Applied Genetic Technologies announced that it has raised $11.8 million in financing. InterWest Partners led the round, and Intersouth Partners and MedImmune Ventures also participated. Report
> Start-up biotechs Pulmatrix and NanoBio are developing anti-infectives that do not need to be tailored to a specific virus and may provide protection against the swine flu--buying more time for bigger biotechs to develop effective vaccines. Report
> Northfield's long and difficult quest to win approval for the blood substitute PolyHeme was dealt another blow today as the FDA rejected the company's drug. Report
And Finally... Coronary artery disease could be diagnosed via urinalysis, a new study finds. Release