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BRIDGEWATER, N.J. Data published in the latest issue of medical journal The Lancet showed that a recently approved drug reduced the risk of death in men with a certain form of prostate cancer by more than a quarter.

HORSHAM, Pa. The biotech division of Johnson & Johnson is hoping to expand the use of a treatment for autoimmune disorders.

Centocor Ortho Biotech said it had filed an application with the Food and Drug Administration to get approval for Simponi (golimumab) to stop the progression of structural damage, induce major clinical response, maintain reductions in signs and symptoms, and improve physical function in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

LONDON British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline has stopped a late-stage trial of a vaccine for genital herpes, citing disappointing results, GSK said Thursday.

DEERFIELD, Ill. Walgreens announced Thursday that Jeffrey Berkowitz, a former SVP at drug maker Merck, has joined the company.

Berkowitz will serve as Walgreens' SVP pharmaceutical development and market access, responsible for the overall pharmacy contracting strategy for the company, both on the pharmaceutical manufacturing side and on the retail payer side, the drug store chain said. He will report to Walgreens' pharmacy services president Kermit Crawford.

BURLINGTON, Mass. The drug market for Crohn's disease treatments will see moderate growth over the next decade, Decision Resources reported Wednesday.

The research firm projected that the market will increase a little more than 31%, from $3.2 billion in 2009 to $4.2 billion in 2019, in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan. Decision Resources said the the modest growth rate masks such market changes as new and emerging biologics, as well as generic competition.

RARITAN, N.J. An investigational drug made by Johnson & Johnson for treating pain showed significant reduction in pain intensity compared with placebo in patients with moderate to severe lower back pain, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial announced Monday.

SILVER SPRING, Md. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new oral contraceptive from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals.

The FDA announced Friday the approval of Beyaz (estrogen and progestin) tablets. The pills also contain a folate known as levomefolate calcium. Low folate levels in the body are associated with such conditions as spina bifida, and physicians recommend that women of childbearing age supplement their diets with folate.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. Several lots of two drugs used to treat anemia are being recalled due to possible contamination.

Amgen said Friday that it was voluntarily recalling certain lots of Epogen and Procrit (epoetin alfa) from distributors, wholesalers, healthcare providers and pharmacies as a precaution due to the possible presence of extremely thin and barely visible glass flakes known as lamellae that result from an interaction between the drugs and the glass vials used to store them.