The Food and Drug Administration flagged potential cardiovascular risks with AstraZenecas Nexium and its predecessor, Prilosec, but said it has not yet established an increased risk and discouraged doctors and patients from discontinuing use of the drugs.

It was a plot point on a famous episode of Seinfeld, but that was the high point for the Today Sponge in recent years. Now, 12 years after Wyeth stopped making it, a new owner is looking to relaunch the contraceptive sponge to a highly-segmented swatch of consumers with brighter packaging, print ads and a Web site.

Merck has brought back consumer marketing guru Len Tacconi to serve as global brand leader for its lead investigational component for obesity, taranabant.

Three years after the FDA yanked its Wild Thing ads off the air, Pfizer is again taking a playful approach with a Viagra TV spot riffing on the Elvis hit Viva Las Vegas. And this time they got the agencys OK in advance.

Boehringer Ingelheims DTC campaign for Mirapex broke last week, days after scientists reported a genetic basis for restless leg syndrome, helping legitimize the disorder.

The House has approved legislation that would reauthorize PDUFA and strengthen the FDAs hand, allowing it to require post-market drug safety studies and fine companies as much as $250,000 for airing false and misleading ads.

PhRMA’s Office of Accountability released its second survey of comments received by companies regarding DTC ads, which showed concern among consumers and physicians about the clarity and creative choices of some ads.

A solid majority of doctors - 64% - say there should be some sort of moratorium on DTC advertising, according to a survey by TNS Healthcare.

GlaxoSmithKline was the nations seventh-largest consumer advertiser in 2006, according to TNS Media Intelligences Stradegy as reported in Advertising Age.

Pfizers ability to reach what may be an untapped population of people suffering from fibromyalgia got a boost last week when Lyrica became the first FDA-approved therapy for the condition.