The largest-ever study of treatments for diabetes has shown that a combination of two blood pressure-lowering drugs reduces the risk of death, heart attack and kidney disease in diabetes sufferers. The "Action in diabetes and vascular disease" (ADVANCE) project involves 20 countries from around the world, 12 of them from the EU. The results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Vienna, Austria, on 3 September.

The European pharmaceutical industry makes an irreplaceable contribution to Europe's wellbeing through the availability of medicines, economic growth and employment. The pharmaceutical sector has been and remains a key strategic sector for Europe.

Manhattan Research, a healthcare market research services firm, announced the leading pharmaceutical product website destinations for physicians from its new physician research study, "ePharma Physician® v7.0: The Future of Professional eMarketing.". Manhattan Research recently hosted a webcast discussing highlights of the ePharma Physician® v7.0 research.

Putnam Associates released today the results of an intensive study of U.S. health insurance plans' perceptions of branded prescription drug use in the U.S. The study revealed that plans believe greater pharmacoeconomic value can be unlocked by increasing patient use within certain drug categories.

The growth of Internet applications in healthcare has been rapid. A growing number of patients are becoming increasingly involved in the healthcare service they receive. These 'power patients' possess characteristics that distinguish them from traditional patients and are an important factor in driving the use of the Internet in healthcare.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the New Drug Application (NDA) for ISENTRESS™ (raltegravir, previously known as MK-0518). Data in the NDA support the proposed use of ISENTRESS in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in treatment-experienced patients with evidence of HIV-1 replication despite ongoing antiretroviral therapy (ART).