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STAMFORD, Conn. — Purdue Pharma has launched a new website designed to combat abuse of prescription drugs, the company said Wednesday.

The website, RxSafetyMatters.org, is designed to help healthcare professionals, police and community organizations combat prescription drug diversion and abuse. Purdue is the developer of OxyContin (oxycodone), an extended-release painkiller that is frequently a target of drug abusers.

WILMINGTON, Del. — A Food and Drug Administration committee of experts has advised against approving a drug for Type 2 diabetes made by AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb, the companies said Tuesday.

The FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 9-6 against recommending approval for dapagliflozin, saying that data from a two-year clinical trial program that included about 6,000 people did not support the drug’s approval for use in patients along with changes to diet and exercise.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Canadian drug maker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International has signed an agreement with Sanofi’s subsidiary in Canada to distribute a topical medication for osteoarthritis in the country.

Valeant said Tuesday that it had reached an agreement with Sanofi-Aventis Canada for Canadian marketing and distribution rights to Zuacta (zucapsaicin), designed for treating osteoarthritis of the knee.

NEW YORK — Patients taking an investigative antidepressant undergoing late-stage clinical development showed “significant” improvement, according to study results released Monday.

Forest Labs and Pierre Fabre Medicament announced results of a phase-3 trial of levomilnacipran in adults with major depressive disorder. Results showed a statistically significant improvement in patients treated with the drug, compared with those taking placebo.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new influenza vaccine formulation for the 2011-2012 flu season, the agency said Monday.

The FDA said six manufacturers are licensed to produce vaccines. These include GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, manufacturing Fluarix; CSL Limited, manufacturing Afluria; ID Biomedical, manufacturing FluLaval; MedImmune Vaccines, manufacturing FluMist; Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, manufacturing Fluvirin; and Sanofi Pasteur, manufacturing Fluzone.

INDIANAPOLIS — A statin made by Eli Lilly and Kowa Pharmaceuticals America appears to work well with drugs used to treat HIV, according to a study presented at the sixth International AIDS Society conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

The study was designed to investigate potential interactions between Livalo (pitavastatin) and Abbott’s antiretroviral protease inhibitor Kaletra (lopinavir and ritonavir). The study found that each drug had only a minimal effect on the other.

PHILADELPHIA — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by Shire for treating ulcerative colitis, the British drug maker said Monday.

Shire announced the approval of Lialda (mesalamine) delayed-release tablets for the maintenance of remission in patients with the disease.

The drug was already approved for inducing remission in patients with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory disease that affects the colon and causes chronic inflammation, sores and ulcers.

SYDNEY — Australian drug maker QRxPharma is seeking approval for a drug that combines two painkillers in one pill, the company said Monday.

QRxPharma announced that it had filed a regulatory approval application with the Food and Drug Administration for MoxDuo IR (morphine and oxycodone). The drug is designed to release both drugs into the body immediately.