> 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
> 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
> 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
> 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
> Doctors called Merck's online promotions the best of their kind, with GlaxoSmithKline coming in second, a Verispan survey showed. Report
> Boston Scientific is selling off its endovascular aortic repair program for $30 million to a Santa Rosa, CA-based investor group. Report
> 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
> Pliva CFO Ivan Mijatovic has been appointed senior vice president for corporate development of parent company Barr Pharmaceuticals. Report
> Medco Health Solutions is partnering with the Swedish government on a prescription review program designed to prevent medication errors. Report
> 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
> In a head-to-head study, the new antiplatelet drug prasugrel (being developed by Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo) in combination with aspirin outperformed the standard therapy, clopidogrel (Plavix) with aspirin. Report
> In a possible boon to the biotech industry, the SBA is looking to hike research grants to small U.S. businesses. Report
And Finally... Scientists are studying whether fasting can protect healthy cells against chemotherapy, making cancer treatment more effective. Report