Business

Foundation-laying ceremony for new R&D building at Roche Basel

At a ceremony attended by people involved in the project and other guests, the foundation stone was laid for the new Research & Development building at Roche Basel. The project, representing a total investment of approximately 250 million Swiss francs, is an unequivocal expression of the company's commitment to the Basel site. At the new facility, R&D work is to be carried out on solid and liquid dosage forms for new active substances.

GSK to drive growth in emerging markets with acquisition of UCB products

GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) has signed an agreement with UCB S.A to acquire its current marketed product portfolio across certain territories in Africa, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America, for a cash consideration of €515 million (£483 million).

Oral Investigational Multiple Sclerosis Treatment to Complete a Two-Year Pivotal Study

Merck KGaA and its Merck Serono division announced today that the CLARITY[1] Phase III pivotal trial of its proprietary oral formulation of cladribine (cladribine tablets) met the two-year primary endpoint of clinical relapse rate reduction in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS).

Four innovative Novartis medicines approved in Japan

Patients in Japan stand to benefit from the approval of four innovative medicines - Tasigna® for the treatment of a life-threatening form of leukemia, Xolair® for severe asthma, Co-Dio®[*] for high blood pressure, and Lucentis® for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that is a major cause of blindness in people over the age of 50 in Japan.

Abbott Reports Double-Digit Sales and Earnings Growth in Fourth Quarter

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) has announced financial results for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2008:

Worldwide sales increased 10.1 percent to $8 billion, including an unfavorable 2.5 percent effect of exchange rates. Full-year 2008 sales were nearly $30 billion.
Diluted earnings per share, excluding specified items, were $1.06, reflecting 14.0 percent growth, in line with Abbott's previous forecast. Diluted earnings per share under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) were $0.98, up 27.3 percent.

US Department of Health and Human Services awards Novartis USD 486 million contract

The US Department of Health and Human Services, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (HHS, BARDA) has awarded Novartis Vaccines a contract for up to USD 486 million over eight years to support the design, construction, validation, and licensing of U.S. cell-based influenza vaccine manufacturing facilities in Holly Springs, North Carolina, to provide a pre-pandemic supply of influenza vaccine and to provide the capacity to manufacture 150 million doses of pandemic vaccine within six months of declaration of an influenza pandemic.

Nycomed and EffRx have announced a licensing agreement on drug for the treatment of osteoporosis

Nycomed and EffRx have announced a licensing agreement on EffRx' drug EX101 (effervescent alendronate) for the treatment of osteoporosis. Under the agreement, Nycomed will receive the exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise the effervescent formulation of alendronate for the treatment of osteoporosis in a large number of countries worldwide. EX101 presents a significant enhancement to Nycomed's osteoporosis portfolio.

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