AstraZeneca is going for the jugular - or rather, the carotid - with new ads emphasizing Crestor's effectiveness at slowing the progression of atherosclerosis.

Pfizer pulled Lipitor ads featuring Dr. Robert Jarvik and vowed that it is "committing to ensuring greater clarity in the roles and responsibilities of its spokespeople in its consumer advertising and promotion."

DTC TV prescription drug ads featuring an animated bee and a talking beaver were most recalled by consumers during 2007, according to ad performance tracking firm IAG Research.

Merck/Schering-Plough launched patient education ads for Vytorin and Zetia in newspapers over the weekend while temporarily suspending broadcast advertising for the brands.

Johnson & Johnson's Cordis launched the first on-air volley in the drug-eluting stent wars with a 60-second spot that broke during the Thanksgiving Cowboys-Jets game.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America launched its first DTC ad campaign for chronic constipation drug Amitiza, targeting women 40 and over with TV and print ads featuring the tagline: "Move to Amitiza."

Mary Lou Retton is returning to TV advertising for device manufacturer Biomet's Oxford Partial Knee System.

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.

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.

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.