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Consumer pharma marketers are going to have to be a little more careful when using celebrity spokespeople or actors playing physicians. PhRMA has updated its rules and the consensus is clear - if you are paying for promotion, it must be noted in the ad.

Forget putting a cap on how much a gift to doctors should cost, the state of Massachusetts is considering outlawing everything from pens to meals - and don't even think about handing out free tickets to next week's Red Sox game.

At its annual business briefing, Merck surprised analysts with the announcement that it would be launching a new business in the biologics sector in an effort to create generic biotech drugs.

It's beginning to look a lot like layoffs. Lilly and Sanofi-Aventis announce sales rep cuts amid an economic downturn and the holiday season.

The already crowded health portal market will get a bit tighter with the addition of myOptumHealth.com. But unlike the other WebMDs of the world (wide Web), Optum comes with a built-in base of 60 million users and the muscle of the UnitedHealth Group.

The Federal Trade Commission is tightening the rules for who is a paid endorser and what advertisers need to disclose about them. Look for new transparency on payment and new language to replace "your mileage may vary."

Maybe what you're feeling isn't impending doom. Maybe it's just growing pains.

AstraZeneca is releasing 1,400 employees in Europe, and refocusing its packing system in an effort to move product closer to where the demand is. In this case, that's China.

Once a breeding ground for dense jargon about mechanisms of action and prescribing information, Web sites like Centocor's new Medversation are giving doctors consumer-friendly content to help them spell out treatment options in a language everyone can understand.

AstraZeneca caused a ruckus at the American Heart Association's annual meeting as data was released proving that its statin not only works for its target indication, but also reduced major CV events in patients who don?t have high cholesterol.

US heparin manufacturer ordered to turn over contaminated batches of heparin. Just how much of the tainted chemical is on the market?

It's been a year since consumer marketing master Joe Jimenez took over the top spot at Novartis Pharma. How's he faring?

As Congress moves to curb industry influence, support for med ed is waning

Evaluating experience: It's what you know, not how long you know it

Is FDA's MO in foreign inspections too broken to fix?

Industry is cinching its belt, but news that Merck will shed 12 percent of its workforce - many senior and middle management positions - was a bombshell announcement.

Affiris struck a deal with GlaxoSmithKline to develop two Alzheimer's treatments. As part of the agreement, GSK gains a fancy protein technology that could be a boon for future molecules.

IMS Special Report

New legislation gives US-based Web hosting companies the go-ahead to remove shady online pharmacies without a warrant. The new rule makes it harder to market counterfeit drugs, and for consumers to purchase medication without a prescription.

Novartis is the latest pharma company to move away from the traditional sales model of blanketing sales reps for one drug across the nation. The company is restructuring its force (and cutting jobs) to focus on a regional sales model.

Analysts report that Big Pharma isn't being hit that hard by the credit crunch due to the large amount of cash many companies have in their coffers for mergers and acquisitions. However, smaller firms looking to be sold may have a hard time holding out for higher offers.

Specialty drug firm Norgine splits from the British pharma association due to a growing rift about pricing. A "war of the roses" is escalating between Big Pharma and smaller drug manufacturers; Norgine could be the first casualty.

With the launch of Clinician 1, physician and nurse assistants now have a place to share information online. The increase in No-See doctors and general difficulty for reps to meet with prescribers might make this the opportunity for pharma to reach a major stakeholder.

The pharma giant just announced major plans to break up its R&D divisions into smaller units targeting areas of growth. Marketing will be part of the restructuring plan, and there is good news: No new layoffs.

Try this one on for size: Multi-tasking isn't the path to greatness

A head-to-head comparison of the Drug Vote '08

A vision of pharma's next business model is starting to emerge. But how do we get from here to there?

Cubist Pharmaceuticals CEO Michael Bonney has given the company a successful start-and is now predicting the future of drug resistance.