ALSO NOTED: Big Pharma rethinks animal testing; FDA extends telavancin review; and much more...

> In a move that will please animal rights activists, a number of pharmaceutical companies have determined that they will no longer conduct acute toxicity tests. They say that new technology has rendered these animal tests redundant, slowing down the drug development process. Report [1]

> The FDA is calling for more reviews of Theravance's telavancin. Report [2]

> Merck's good news? It looks as if enough plaintiffs will sign on to the $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement. Merck's bad news? Some plaintiffs are opting out, and some lawyers are challenging settlement provisions designed to prevent that. Report [3]

> Just how did Merck and Schering-Plough get themselves into hot water with the ENHANCE trial, which compared Zetia and Vytorin to a generic cholesterol drug? Maybe by excluding their lead investigator from key discussions. Report [4]

> Here's more evidence that the developing world is hot, hot, hot. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries plans to invest a whopping $1 billion in India. The generics giant will spend between a quarter and a third of that on new manufacturing plants. The rest will go into acquisitions. Report [5]

> Will Florida join other states suing makers of atypical antipsychotics? Report [6]

And Finally... Researchers have identified small pieces of ribonucleic acid that suppress the spread of breast cancer to the lungs and bone. Release [7]