> Five years ago Novartis set out to speed drug development, hoping to quickly advance discoveries in the lab to approval. Now the project has been so successful that the company now has a Phase II/III bottleneck. Blog
> Call it Bad News Bayer. The German company reported a whopping 78 percent drop in profits for the fourth quarter and forecast 2008 sales growth at its lowest level in years. Though 2007 full-year results were actually quite good--sales grew 11.8 percent--shares are down 15 percent since January 1 on a series of disappointing news. Report
> It's a grim trifecta of heparin news today. Regulators say they've now found 21 deaths that may be linked to Baxter's recalled blood thinner. FDA inspectors uncovered quality-control problems at the Chinese plant where crude heparin was processed for Baxter's supplier. And Baxter widened its recall to include not just its multidose heparin vials but single-dose packaging and diluted heparin. Report
> The FDA's pleas for more money are gaining attention in Congress. Report
> Victory for Amgen--and maybe for Roche, too. The California drug maker persuaded a judge to temporarily ban Roche's competing anemia drug Mircera in the U.S. Report
And Finally... A CDC study confirms what many of us already know: American's aren't getting enough sleep. Report