Some of Robert Morse's ideas are small: Paint a baseball so it's easier to read a curve. Make a four-colored deck of cards so his wife doesn't confuse the spades and clubs.

Two of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the United States and India have teamed up to develop new anti-infective medications.

Shares of large pharmaceutical companies closed higher Monday as the broader market gained ground on a rising dollar and falling oil prices.

Shares of large pharmaceutical companies opened higher Monday as the broader market gained ground on declining oil prices and a higher dollar.

Shares of large pharmaceutical companies opened lower Friday as the broader market tumbled over wider-than-expected losses at insurer American International Group Inc. and a spike in oil prices.

Some of the nation's largest pharmaceutical companies defended their TV advertisements Thursday from Democrats pushing for tougher marketing restrictions.

Shares of large pharmaceutical companies closed mostly higher Thursday with the broader market, despite the appearance before Congress of executives from several major companies aiming to defend their advertising practices.

Pharmaceutical companies need to be more responsible in touting products to consumers or else face tighter controls from Congress, a top U.S. Democratic lawmaker said on Thursday.

By Susan Heavey

Pharmaceutical executives on Thursday will face scrutiny from lawmakers concerned their industry sometimes misleads consumers by overstating the benefits of drugs in TV commercials.

Government data due out Thursday is expected to show that initial claims filed for unemployment benefits fell last week after surging in the prior period.

Medtronic Inc <MDT.N> on Tuesday said it would eliminate about 1,100 jobs this year, or almost 3 percent of its work force, in businesses whose growth has slowed, including its flagship heart rhythm device unit.

By Susan Kelly

Merck & Co.'s move to cut an additional 1,200 sales representatives could give the company an earnings per share boost in 2008, according to several analysts.

Merck & Co. said Monday it is eliminating 1,200 U.S. sales jobs, a move that comes a week after federal regulators' surprise rejection of an experimental cholesterol drug heavily touted by the pharmaceutical company.