Heart Risk?: The FDA says that people who already have cardiovascular disease may see their chances of a heart attack rise if they take Pfizer’s Chantix smoking-cessation drug, the WSJ reports . The agency based its warning on a trial of 700 heart-disease patients, and says it will update the product’s label and medication guide. Pfizer notes there are big heart benefits to be gained by quitting smoking. No Change: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will leave the issue of reimbursement for Amgen’s Aranesp and Epogen and Johnson & Johnson’s Procrit up to regional contractors rather than making a so-called national coverage determination, Bloomberg News reports . An analyst says the decision on the anemia drugs will remove an “overhang” on Amgen’s shares. NICE News: The UK’s medical cost-effectiveness

group, NICE, is recommending payment for two multiple-myeloma drugs, Celgene’s thalidomide and J&J’s Velcade, Dow Jones Newswires reports . Thalidomide treatment is more cost-effective, NICE says, but Velcade (marketed by Takeda’s Millennium Pharmaceuticals in the U.S. and J&J elsewhere) is an option for people who can’t take the other drug. The Price of Leadership: Subspecialty physicians acting as “key opinion leaders” for drug makers earn an average of $404 an hour ($324 an hour for specialists), Pharmalot reports , citing data covering 26 companies from market-research firm Cutting Edge Information. Primary-care doctors earn an average of $235 an hour. KOLs, as they’re called, are paid by pharma companies to advise on and advocate for drugs. Image: iStockphoto

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A.M. Vitals: Pfizer’s Chantix May Increase Risk For Heart Patients