Sponsored by Merck & Co.

Heart risks associated with Merck & Co.'s painkiller Vioxx began much sooner than the company has claimed, The Wall Street Journal Online reported on Tuesday, citing a new study.

Austrian biotech firm Intercell won a deal to sell shares and rights to its vaccine technology to drugmaker Novartis for 270 million euros ($363 million), pushing its stock to all-time highs on Monday.

A jury in a U.S. federal court found that pharmaceuticals company Merck & co. was responsible for the death of a man who took the company's Vioxx painkiller drug.

UK stocks closed at their highest level in nearly two weeks on Monday as numbers from Vodafone boosted investor confidence at the start of a busy earnings week and concerns over the conflict in Lebanon eased slightly.

Drug maker Schering-Ploughdrugs, announced on Monday that its 2006 second quarter earnings surpassed Wall Street expectations due to a surge in the sales of key drugs.

Schering-Plough Corp. on Monday reported quarterly earnings far higher than Wall Street expected, fueled by growing demand for its drugs against cholesterol, arthritis, allergies and hepatitis C.

Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker, posted a 30 percent decrease in net income for the second quarter on Thursday as it faces strong challenges from generic competitors in the market after losing its patent rights over two of the most profitable drug for the firm.