The global drugs industry, battered by controversy over drug safety and access to medicines, needs to go on the offensive to demonstrate its value to society, top executives said on Thursday. Daniel Vasella, Chief Executive of Novartis AG and outgoing president of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA),...told reporters…that the industry was dogged by a "perception of greed, lack of transparency...and insensitivity towards the healthcare needs of the poor"...Last year the IFPMA launched a Web portal giving access to information on companies' clinical trials, in a bid to improve transparency... [refers to controversy over Merck's painkiller Vioxx]