Sponsored by Merck & Co.

A combo pill from drugmaker Merck, which treats both diabetes and high cholesterol, is the first of it sort to win the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's claim that Gardasil can cause mental retardation has absolutely no scientific validity, according to O. Marion Burton, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In a heated stand-off between Republican Presidential candidates during Monday's Republican presidential debate, Texas Governor, Rick Perry, was caught in the crossfire over his 2007 executive order that required Texas schoolgirls to receive vaccinations against the sexually transmitted HPV virus.

The jobs cut is the single largest job reduction by a U.S. company this year, and the most since the U.S. Postal Service said last year it wanted to cut an additional 30,000 jobs.

Warner Chilcott Plc (WCRX), Roche Holding AG (ROG), Merck **9** Co. and Novartis AG (NOVN) need to change the labeling of Bisphosphonates, a medicine taken by patients to prevent and cure osteoporosis, the FDA said.

Warner Chilcott Plc (WCRX), Roche Holding AG (ROG), Merck & Co. and Novartis AG (NOVN) need to change the labeling of Bisphosphonates, a medicine taken by patients to prevent and cure osteoporosis, the FDA said.

Scientists in Hong Kong are embarking on a study to identify genes that are responsible for high cholesterol and heart disease in patients in southern China, which they hope will pave the way for the design of better drugs.

The Department of Justice has issued Merck & Co a subpoena seeking information about the drugmaker's marketing of three drugs acquired in its 2009 merger with Schering-Plough Corp.

Recent industry buzz on Pfizer's alleged strategy to sell its cholesterol reducer-blockbuster drug, Lipitor as an over-the-counter pill, reinforces debate on the safe compliance of prescription drugs when sold as OTC's.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Friday are: CF Industries Holdings, PG&E, Freeport-McMoRan Copper, Merck & Co, TECO Energy, First Solar, eBay, Nvidia, Halliburton and Regions Financial Corp.

Pfizer Inc is interested in selling a non-prescription version of its Lipitor cholesterol drug after it loses U.S. patent protection, but would likely face a battle with regulators because of safety concerns, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Corporations unveiled 66,414 planned job cuts last month, up a sharp 60.3 percent from 41,432 in June.

The economy stumbled badly in the first half of 2011 and came dangerously close to contracting in the January-March period, raising the risk of a recession if a standoff over the nation's debt does not end quickly.

Merck & Co Inc plans to cut another 12,000 to 13,000 jobs by late 2015 to wring out additional annual cost savings of up to $1.5 billion that can be plowed back into research and deal making.

The job cuts will result in annual cost savings of up to $4.6 billion by the end of 2015.

Stock index futures fell on Wednesday, pointing to a sixth day of losses in an enduring downtrend as investors worry about the bleak economic outlook and technical market indicators point to more weakness ahead.

A group of major western pharmaceutical companies announced that they will significantly reduce the prices they charge for vaccines in the developing world.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co <4502.T>, Japan's largest drugmaker, said on Thursday it would buy privately held Swiss rival Nycomed for 9.6 billion euros ($13.6 billion) as it seeks to expand in Europe and emerging markets.

Defensive shares led a rebound in stocks on Thursday as investors weighed mixed economic signals and recent volatility in commodities as they searched for direction.

Industrials led the Dow higher on Friday following a strong quarter and outlook from Caterpillar, and the index looked set to notch its best month since December.

Merck & Co reported higher-than-expected first-quarter earnings, fueled by cost cutting and strong sales of its drugs for diabetes, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Wednesday are: Corning, Baker Hughes, Carnival Corp, Boeing, Hess Corp, Merck & Co, GlaxoSmithKline, LDK Solar, FMC Technologies, Rockwell Automation and Johnson & Johnson.

U.S. blue-chip stocks eked out a slim gain Monday but other market measures fell slightly as investors traded cautiously ahead of the first quarter corporate earnings season.

U.S. blue-chip stocks eked out a slim gain Monday but other market measures fell slightly as investors traded cautiously ahead of the first quarter corporate earnings season.The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 1.06 points, or 0.01%, at 12381.11. The Nasdaq Composite shed 8.91, or 0.32%, to 2771.51. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index slipped 3.71, or 0.28%, to 1324.46. The mixed activity came as investors looked ahead to the first-quarter earnings season, which kicked off unoffic...

Merck & Co Inc. (NYSE: MRK)'s shingles vaccine Zostavax is now approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for people aged 50 and older. Zostavax was originally approved on May 2006 to prevent herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, in individuals 60 years of age and older.

Regulatory pressure prompted Sanofi-Aventis and Merck & Co to abandon plans for a joint animal health powerhouse with $5 billion in sales.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Tuesday as fighting in Libya, resolving Japan's crisis and the chances for a European interest rate hike next month kept investors jittery.

U.S. stocks were set to open little changed on Tuesday as geopolitical concerns in Japan and Libya kept investors nervous.

U.S. stocks surged on Monday as sentiment was buoyed after Japan made progress in its battle to control radiation leaks at a crippled plant, and AT&T announced that it will buy T-Mobile USA from German company Deutsche Telekom to create the largest mobile provider in the United States.