> Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals got the FDA thumbs-up on its generic version of the hydrocodone-and-acetaminophen combo marketed by others as Vicodin and Lorcet, among other names. Total 2006 sales for the combination pills was $390.6 million. Release
> The FDA is warning nursing mothers who take the painkiller codeine to watch for signs of overdose--such as excess drowsiness--in their babies. Up to 10 percent of white women and 3 percent of black women have a particular gene that concentrates narcotics into their breast milk. Report
> Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals got their liver cancer treatment Nexavar onto the FDA fast track. The agency has accepted the companies' app for Priority Review. The drug already is approved for use against kidney cancer. Release
> China Shenghuo Pharmaceutical Holdings posted a 29.3 percent increase in second-quarter profits, to $1.3 million, on sales of $6.4 million. Report
And Finally... A new frontier in diabetes treatment could be a big boon not only for patients, but also for drug makers who supply statins and other heart-related remedies. Article