Before the turn of the century ecstasy was a big headline puller and journalists wrote about it a great deal. Recently, however, cocaine and heroin have taken front stage. Just because ecstasy is not hitting the headlines as much as it used to may not necessarily mean it is not a dangerous drug and should consequently be downgraded. The declining popularity of the rave scene has lead to a drop in ecstasy interest. Hence, ecstasy’s classification is being reviewed.

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Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer Inc have released a new analysis of 30 rigorously controlled clinical trials, including UPLIFT, confirming the long term safety profile of Spiriva(R) HandiHaler(R) (tiotropium bromide inhalation powder). The new and expanded safety data contradicts the conclusions about tiotropium in an article by Singh et al. published in the September 24th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (formerly Microbia) and Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) announced they will present results of a Phase 2b study investigating linaclotide’s safety and efficacy in 419 patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) in a plenary session at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Fla. on October 7, 2008.

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Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc. (U.S.), submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing approval of alogliptin (SYR-322) and ACTOS(R) (pioglitazone HCl) (”alogliptin/ACTOS”) in a single tablet for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

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Alimera Sciences, Inc.

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The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended European approval of Olanzapine Long-acting Injection (LAI), known in Europe by the trade name Zypadhera(TM), for maintenance treatment of adult patients with schizophrenia sufficiently stabilized during acute treatment with oral olanzapine, Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) announced today.

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Whether young people get drunk as a purposeful behavior or as an unintended consequence depends on what country they live in, according to new research on young people in seven countries. The research finds that young people’s views on alcohol and drunkenness were influenced more by culture than by factors such as age and sex.

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