Drug Vote: An FDA advisory panel voted not to recommend approval of Novartis’s Ilaris for gout pain, though it did say the drug is effective, the WSJ reports . Safety concerns, specifically the risk of serious infections, gave committee members pause, but several said it might be possible for the drug to be approved with restrictions, the paper says. The FDA often but not always follows the advice of its outside panels. Diabetes Risk?: A JAMA study of previously published research suggests high doses of cholesterol-reducing statin drugs may slightly increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the New York Times reports . Experts tell the paper that statins still have a net benefit given that they can help cut the risk of heart attack and stroke, but that more study is needed on the link to diabetes. Revamping Humira: Abbott Labs wants

to retool its blockbuster drug Humira as it gears up for new competitors in the market for inflammatory-disease drugs, the WSJ reports . Abbott will introduce a thinner needle to improve injection comfort, but plans to sell a once-monthly Humira dose ran into trouble when a trial failed to demonstrate efficacy, the paper says. An Abbott spokeswoman tells the WSJ the company is still working on how it might bring a monthly dosing option to market. Throwing in the Towel: Merck KGaA has given up on cladribine, its experimental oral medication for multiple sclerosis, saying further research requested by U.S. and European regulators would take years to conduct, Bloomberg News reports . Novartis was the first to bring an oral MS drug , Gilenya, to market. Image: iStockphoto

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A.M. Vitals: FDA Advisory Panel Votes Against Novartis’s Gout Drug