Pfizer and partner Medivation Inc. said Wednesday that the drug, Dimebon, failed to meet its primary and secondary goals -- improving thinking ability and overall daily function over six months in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Full story »

Baxter International issued a recall on certain HomeChoice dialysis machines in January after reports of patients overfilling their abdominal cavities.  Full story »

Political gridlock in the Senate triggered a 21 percent cut in Medicare fees to doctors Monday, as the American Medical Association warned of a "meltdown" for seniors and the Obama administration scrambled to contain the damage. Full story »

The head of Akron's fledgling, bio-innovation institute grew up poor in Guyana and ascended to the top ranks of the global pharmaceutical industry. Full story »

Federal regulators have granted AstraZeneca approval to market its cholesterol pill Crestor as a preventive measure against heart attack and stroke in patients with healthy cholesterol levels. Full story »

Johnson & Johnson said Monday its medical device rival Boston Scientific Corp. will pay the company $1.73 billion to settle two suits related to stent patents. Full story »

The medical technology company will pay $350 million initially to Invatec, which makes stents, angioplasty balloons and related therapies. A stent is a mesh-wire tube used to hold arteries open after they are surgically cleared of blockages. Full story »

In June, tobacco companies must tell the FDA their formulas for the first time, just as drugmakers have for decades. Manufacturers also will have to turn over any studies they've done on the effects of the ingredients. Full story »

According to reports, Pfizer will eliminate nearly 1,200 jobs, including 680 in Pennsylvania, 400 in New Jersey, and 116 in Rockland County, N.Y. Meanwhile Merck will cut 500 jobs in New Jersey. Full story »

Congressional investigators say the number of extraordinary price hikes on drugs doubled between 2000 and 2008. The drugs affected are mostly specialty drugs but also include some popular products like Eli Lilly's schizophrenia treatment Zyprexa. Full story »

Drugmaker Abbott Laboratories has agreed to pay $22.5 million to settle allegations that it tried to block generic competition to a popular cholesterol medication, according to state officials. Full story »

Spectranetics said the settlement means it will not be prosecuted. The company said it will pay $4.9 million to resolve the investigation, and will forfeit another $100,000 in cash or property in the near future. Full story »

U.S. attorneys in Boston say heart device maker Boston Scientific will pay $22 million to resolve allegations its Guidant division paid kickbacks to doctors to get them to use its heart devices. Full story »

French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA said Monday it plans to buy U.S. health-care company Chattem Inc., maker of over-the-counter mainstays like Gold Bond skin products, for $1.9 billion in cash. Full story »

The next, crucial phase in growing regional and statewide business in heart care is rising two stories over East 101st Street and Cedar Avenue. The boxy shell of a building looks unspectacular. But the $19 million new-business incubator, to be run by the Cleveland Clinic, is the latest manifestation of Ohio's biggest-ever outlay of high-tech development money -- the 2007 grant of $60 million for the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center.  Full story »