Sponsored by Merck & Co.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Tuesday were: Mitcham Industries, Pixelworks, Smith Micro Software, Immersion Corp, Gladstone Capital Corp and ARIAD Pharmaceuticals. The top after-market NASDAQ losers were: MAP Pharmaceuticals, SanDisk Corp, Tesla Motors, Saba Software, Spectrum Pharmaceuticals and Silicon Motion Technology Corp.

The development of a novel antidepressant ground to a halt this week when researchers found it did not make patients feel any better than the pills they were already taking.

Scientists, stymied for decades by the complexity of the human immunodeficiency virus, are making progress on several fronts in the search for a cure for HIV infections, a leading medical research conference was told this week in Seattle.

The Food and Drug Administration rejected an experimental combination cholesterol drug produced by Merck & Co Monday. The experimental drug, known as MK-0653C, hopes to fight heart disease in two different ways, by combining Lipitor and Zetia.

Cholesterol drug options won't include an updated combination drug from Merck & Co. after federal regulators rejected a proposed drug that included a generic version of Lipitor.

Merck & Co Inc said on Tuesday it expects first-quarter earnings per share to be between 95 and 98 cents, excluding items, below the average estimate on Wall Street of $1.01.

U.S. health regulators will add warnings to the labels of widely used cholesterol lowering drugs, such as Lipitor, saying they may raise levels of blood sugar and could cause memory loss.

Drugmakers Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY) have seen profits squeezed as lucrative blockbuster drugs came off patent and face competition from low-cost generic drugs. Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is set to feel the hit in the second half of 2012.

Merck & Co. on Thursday reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings, helped by a decrease in research spending, and predicted relatively flat 2012 results as the No. 2 U.S. drugmaker girds for cheaper generic forms of its biggest product, asthma drug Singulair.

Merck & Co (MRK.N) on Thursday reported better-than-expected fourth-quarterearnings, helped by a decrease in research spending, and predicted relatively flat 2012 results as the No. 2 U.S. drugmaker girds for cheaper generic forms of its biggest product, asthma drug Singulair.

Merck & Co on Thursday reported weaker-than-expected quarterly sales and predicted relatively flat 2012 results as the No. 2 drugmaker girds for cheaper generic forms of its biggest product, asthma drug Singulair.

Merck & Co., the second-largest U.S. drugmaker, is projected to report stronger fourth-quarter profit on double-digit growth of key products, an increasing emerging markets presence and further cost reductions.

The chief executive of Merck & Co on Tuesday defended his refusal to slash the drugmaker's $8 billion research budget and warned that global price constraints threaten the pharmaceutical industry's ability to innovate.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Endo Pharmaceuticals, Biosante Pharmaceuticals, Ariad Phamaceuticals. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Diamond Foods, Nuance Communications, ASML Holding, Cisco Systems.

Facebook Inc said on Monday that it made a mistake in letting Merck & Co take over a page on the social networking website from its German rival Merck KGaA.

German drugmaker Merck KGaA accused U.S. rival Merck & Co of hijacking its Facebook page and said it plans to sue to get it back.

Merck & Co will pay roughly $950 million to settle criminal and civil charges that it promoted the painkiller Vioxx for an unapproved use, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Justice had charged Merck with illegally pushing its Vioxx painkiller as a rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

Merck & Co will pay roughly $950 million to settle criminal and civil charges that it promoted the painkiller drug Vioxx for an unapproved use, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.

Merck & Co will pay roughly $950 million to settle criminal and civil charges that it promoted the painkiller Vioxx for an unapproved use, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.

Wedbush Securities downgraded its rating on shares of Cardiome Pharma Corp. (NASDAQ: CRME) to “neutral” from “outperform” as the trial of oral vernakalant continues to delay. The brokerage also lowered its fair value estimate to $4 from $8.50.

European shares rose on Friday while the euro held onto modest gains as investors bought beaten-down riskier assets, with markets focused on whether debt-laden Italy could implement tough austerity measures crucial to avoid a euro zone meltdown.

Asian shares rebounded on Friday and the euro clawed higher, with European stocks also expected to make gains after brighter corporate news lifted U.S. stocks and debt-laden Italy was able to fund itself at a bond auction.

Asian shares rebounded Friday and the euro clawed higher, with European stocks also expected to make gains after brighter corporate news lifted U.S. stocks and debt-laden Italy was able to fund itself at a bond auction.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, rebounding from the previous day's steep losses on positive corporate news, but trading was choppy as nervous investors reacted to headlines painting a mixed picture of Europe's debt crisis.

Merck & Co said on Thursday it raised its quarterly dividend by 11 percent, or 4 cents a share, to 42 cents a share, and said it expects sales next year to be at or near the 2011 level.

Stocks closed out a fourth week of gains in quiet fashion on Friday, edging higher as the market took a breather after rallying 3 percent on Europe's deal to stem its debt crisis.

Merck & Co's quarterly profit and sales beat forecasts as strong demand for the company's diabetes and asthma drugs offset a sharp decline for its Remicade arthritis drug.

German drugs and chemicals group Merck KGaA has cut the top end of its sales forecast for 2011 by 2 percent after sluggish demand for consumer electronics dimmed the prospects for its liquid crystals unit.