Controlling Painkillers: The FDA wants physicians to receive special continuing education from drug makers before they prescribe long-acting, extended-release painkillers that are ripe for abuse, the WSJ reports . Congress would have to approve any changes to physician licensing requirements that would make such training mandatory, the paper says. (A report out yesterday shows generic Vicodin is the most commonly prescribed drug in the U.S. ) More Pharma Earnings: Abbott Laboratories saw first-quarter earnings dip to $864 million, or 55 cents per share, from $1 billion, or 64 cents per share, Reuters reports . Excluding special items, earnings were 91 cents, higher than analysts’ estimates of 90 cents, Reuters says. Stent Sales Woes: Meantime, yesterday’s earnings report from Johnson & Johnson

showed that the company’s Cordis stent business continued to struggle and lose market share, Dow Jones Newswires reports . The 5.5% sales decline during the quarter was driven by a 41% drop in sales of the Cypher heart stent, DJN says. Drug-coated stents now make up only about 1% of J&J’s total sales. Return Trip: A study published in JAMA finds Medicare patients receiving total hip replacements are leaving the hospital sooner and heading to rehab, but more are also being readmitted within 30 days, possibly due to surgery-related complications, Bloomberg News reports . Readmission rates rose to about 8.5% in 2007-2008 from 5.9% in 1991-1992. Image: iStockphoto

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A.M. Vitals: FDA to Bolster Painkiller Control Efforts