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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Type 1 diabetics who watch the most television have poorer blood-sugar control on average, according to a study published online Sept. 16 by the American Diabetes Association's journal Diabetes Care.

In the cross-sectional study, self-report questionnaires were used to assess media consumption habits, physical activity and socioeconomic status in 296 children, adolescents and young adults with Type 1 diabetes.

DARMSTADT, Germany — German drug maker Merck KGaA will collaborate with Japanese drug maker Ono Pharmaceutical to develop oral therapies for cancer and multiple sclerosis, Merck KGaA said.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a regulatory approval application from Merck and Ariad Pharmaceuticals for a new drug to treat soft-tissue and bone cancers, the drug makers said Wednesday.

The FDA is expected to complete its review of ridaforolimus for soft-tissue and bone sarcomas in patients who have shown a favorable response to chemotherapy by second quarter 2012.

Sarcomas are cancers of the body's connective tissues, and treatment options remain limited, the companies said.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — AccuDial Pharmaceutical on Tuesday acquired Stephen Key Design in a move that will expand AccuDial’s patent portfolio to more than 50 patents for weight-based dosing and other extended content rotating labels, which add 75% more labeling space to a container.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Women who smoke have heart attacks at younger ages and are more likely than men to suffer complications months after a cardiac event, according to a new University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center study released Tuesday.

Although fewer women than men smoke in the United States, the gender gap is decreasing and the U-M findings suggested the toll of smoking is greater on women’s health.

SAN DIEGO — Insomnnia may be the next big treatment regimen to make a switch from prescription-only to over the counter.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Growing numbers of Americans with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are driving innovation among drug makers, according to a new report by Frost & Sullivan.

NEW YORK — People taking oral steroids are twice as likely as the general population to have severe vitamin D deficiency, according to a study of more than 31,000 children and adults by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University released last week.

Their findings, published in the Sept. 28 online edition of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, suggested that physicians should more diligently monitor vitamin D levels in patients being treated with oral steroids.