Business & Industry News Channel
The Roche Group recorded sustained strong sales growth in the first nine months of 2009. Group sales grew 11% in local currencies (9% in Swiss francs; 4% in US dollars) to 36.4 billion Swiss francs. The Pharmaceuticals Division’s sales increased 12% in local currencies (11% in Swiss francs; 6% in US dollars) to 29.0 billion Swiss francs, maintaining growth at twice the global market rate. 
GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) has entered into a unique partnership with the UK Government, The Wellcome Trust and the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) to develop an innovative new biotechnology science park located at GSK's site at Stevenage. The project aims to create a world-leading hub for early-stage biotechnology companies. 
Boehringer Ingelheim announced that the Mirapexin®/Sifrol® (pramipexole) new prolonged-release, once daily tablet has been granted marketing authorisation by the European Commission in all EU/EEA) countries for the treatment of early and advanced idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). The approval was based on the submission of clinical trial results showing that the new formulation can offer an efficacy and safety profile comparable to the immediate release tablet taken three times daily.(1-6)
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced that a single dose of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccines, Panenza® (15 mcg dose, non-adjuvanted) or Humenza® (3.8 mcg dose, adjuvanted), administered to children (3 years of age and older) and adults induces a robust immune response, according to results from clinical trials conducted in Europe.
Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany, will provide its development candidate florbetaben, a so called PET (positron emission tomography) tracer, to the Swiss-based biopharmaceutical company AC Immune SA, to support a clinical trial in the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study is conducted to develop a therapy option for the treatment of AD. Bayer's novel PET tracer florbetaben will be applied for imaging of beta-Amyloid deposition in the brain of patients undergoing the phase I clinical testing of AC Immune's Alzheimer's vaccine ACI-24. Boehringer Ingelheim has repeatedly and clearly stated that patents must not prevent access from life-saving drugs for HIV patients living in resource limited settings. In line with this and in order to accelerate access to anti-retroviral medicines, the company has initiated non-assert declarations in May 2007, well before the idea of the UNITAID patent pool was conceived. 
AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for ONGLYZA (saxagliptin) in the 27 countries of the European Union. ONGLYZA is indicated as a once-daily 5 mg oral tablet dose in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus to improve glycaemic control: