THIRD APPROVAL: Regulators in Japan have approved anticlotting drug called Eliquis, a potential blockbuster from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer. It's already on sale in Canada and the European Union.

THIRD TRY: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has twice postponed a decision on Eliquis, first saying it needed more time and then requiring additional data. That was submitted in September, and the FDA now is set to rule by March 17.

THIRD DRUG: Two similar drugs already on sale have a big head start - Pradaxa, from Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim, and Xarelto, from partners Johnson & Johnson and Bayer Healthcare.