> New York Sen. Charles Schumer called for an end to direct-to-consumer drug advertising, saying that Merck and Schering-Plough misled patients about their newly controversial cholesterol drug Vytorin. Report
> One down, another pops up: With Merck poised to wrap up its Vioxx litigation, it's facing new challenges to top-selling products, including osteoporosis blockbuster Fosamax and cholesterol fighter Vytorin. Report
> Takeda Pharmaceuticals and generics maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries await a Delaware judge's decision on their patent dispute over the proton pump inhibitor Prevacid. Report
> Teva Pharmaceutical got tentative FDA approval for its version of the prostate drug Flomax, made by Boehringer Ingelheim. Report
> Japan's Takeda Pharmaceuticals reported record operating profits for the first nine months of its fiscal year, with earnings of $3.8 billion on sales of $10 billion. Report
> Abbott Laboratories is investing up to $40 million in Isis Pharmaceuticals' mass spectrometer subsidiary Isis Biosciences. Report
> South Korean researchers have successfully tested a new approach to delivering vaccines, applying it under the tongue rather than through a needle. Report
> A patient's thoughts and feelings play a big role in determining just how effective their annual flu shot can be, says a new study. Report
AND FINALLY... Suspect that your blood pressure rises when your team is 4th-and-Goal with 15 seconds left? German researchers actually found that heart attacks more than doubled on days the national soccer team played. Report