Pfizer also faced civil charges over Bextra as well as an anti-psychotic drug,Geodon;

VOA: special.2009.09.11

The apparent failure illustrates the problems for drug firms like Pfizer as they spend millions to license drugs developed by other companies.

FORBES: Pfizer Stops Developing Coley Cancer Drug

The majority of analysts (88.2%) rate Pfizer as a buy.

FORBES: Earnings Preview: Pfizer

This is big news because azithromycin, sold by Pfizer as Zithromax and also available as a generic, is one of the most-used antibiotics because of its ease of use and effectiveness against a wide range of bacteria.

FORBES: The FDA Is Faster. Now Let's Make It Safer