Steven Kazmierczak's Northern Illinois University shooting sparked another hard look at the linkage between stopping use of antidepressant drugs like Prozac and a rise in violent tendencies. The conclusion of medics is that the halt in the gunman's Prozac therapy had no direct link to his shooting spree.

But while the connection was not established, medical experts said the NIU incident stressed stopping antidepressant therapy without directions from doctors is risky

Because of the weak demand for camera supplies as more consumers shift to digital photography, Japanese firm Fujifilm is shifting to pharmaceuticals. The company announced it will purchase 66 percent of Toyama Chemical Company that is experimenting on an influenza medicine capable of battling bird flu.

Following the announcement of Fujifilm's diversification, its price on the Tokyo Stock Exchange went up Tuesday by 1 percent to $36.69 (3,940 yen) per share, while Toyama shares were constant at $8.14 (874 yen) per share

Prescription painkiller fentanyl has been recalled in the U.S. and Canada after manufacturers said that certain defects may cause leaks that can lead to fatal overdoses.

Its manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and Novartis AG's Sandoz voluntarily recalled patches in the U.S. and Canada that release 25 micrograms of fentanyl in an hour with expiration dates on or before December 2009

Research is showing that pharmacies are placing American lives at stake with the dispensation of wrong drugs, due to an increase in patient volume and disproportionate staffing.

A 2004 case arose from drug firm Walgreens which mistakenly gave the parents of a five-year-old child Methitest, a steroid for older males, while Trey Jones instead needed Inderal to control tremors

Pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co. Inc. agreed Thursday to pay the federal government, 49 states and the District of Columbia $650 million plus interest to settle two whistleblower lawsuits alleging it fixed drug prices to defraud Medicaid and other healthcare programs.

Merck, however, said the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing and liability. It maintained that its pricing, sales and marketing policies and practices are legal