> Two Salix Pharmaceuticals drugs used to cleanse the bowel before a colonoscopy--Visicol and OsmoPrep--will get "black box" warnings of the risk of kidney damage, the FDA said. Report
> GlaxoSmithKline won FDA approval for its Boostrix vaccine for adults, designed to protect against tetanus, diptheria, and whooping cough. Report
> Medtronic said it was unaware for more than three months that a patient who underwent spinal surgery with one of its products had died, and the company is now moving to report the death to the FDA. Report
> A new battleground seems to have opened up over shipments from India's drug exporters, meant for Latin America, that instead are seized in transit by European Union countries. Report
> The FDA accepted Merck's application to expand the use of its HIV treatment Isentress to previously untreated adults infected with the virus. Release
> Akorn got the FDA nod for its Ciprofloxacin HCl Ophthalmic Solution, used to treat eye infections. Release
> A new study suggests that some fertility drugs may increase the risk of developing uterine cancer. Report
> As Eli Lilly outlined an annual loss for the company due to its acquisition of ImClone Systems, company officials also pointed to major progress in cutting R&D costs. Report
> Vivus says that the first of three Phase III trials planned for its obesity drug Qnexa met its primary endpoint of superior weight loss compared to a placebo. Report
> Shares of Pain Therapeutics were sent into a tailspin this morning after the developer announced that the FDA wanted more data on the pain therapy Remoxy--which is partnered with King Pharmaceuticals--before it would approve a marketing application. Report
> AstraZeneca has handed back the rights to two oncology programs it picked up in the 2007 acquisition of MedImmune. Report
> What's up with Pfizer's R&D layoffs? The pharma giant announced last fall that it was restructuring its development work. And sources now tell Connecticut's The Day that the organizational changes at Groton and New London won't be announced until January. Report
> Panacos Pharmaceuticals is the latest small biotech company to bring out the axe as it battles a cash crunch. Panacos is laying off 18 of 33 workers as it undergoes a ritual ‘strategic review,' which includes a potential sale of all or part of the company. Report
And Finally... Dozens of developing countries exaggerated figures on how many children were vaccinated against deadly diseases, which allowed them to get more money from U.N.-sponsored programs, a new study said Friday. Report