Merck R&D calls for a time-out on osteo blockbuster hopeful

Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck Merck's R&D division has been hit with another setback. The pharma giant--which consistently spends more than $8 billion a year on drug research--announced in its fourth-quarter report that an expected regulatory submission for its osteoporosis drug odanacatib is being held back in order to gather more safety and efficacy data from a Phase III extension study....