Business & Industry News Channel
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has received a non-prescription licence for alli (orlistat 60mg); the first time the European Commission has approved a non-prescription product for weight loss. The centrally approved marketing authorisation means GSK can introduce alli for adults with a BMI of 28 kg/m2 or more, in all 27 EU member countries.
Abbott has announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2009. Diluted earnings per share, excluding specified items, were $0.73, reflecting 15.9 percent growth, and $0.03 above the mid-point of Abbott's previous first-quarter guidance range. Diluted earnings per share under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) were $0.92, up 53.3 percent.
Roche will join forces with Novo Nordisk and the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) in Novo Nordisk's five-year program called "Changing Diabetes in Children". Roche Diabetes Care will actively endorse humanitarian activities in this project which is starting in Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Guinea-Conakry and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Pfizer Inc announced has become the first pharmaceutical company to be accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) for ensuring the protection of human subjects taking part in early-stage clinical trials. 
Shareholders of Merck KGaA approved a dividend of € 1.50 per share for 2008 at the company's Annual General Meeting held at the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt. This corresponds to an increase of 25% over the previous year (2007: € 1.20 plus a special dividend) and a total payout of about €°326°million (based on the theoretical number of shares). 
European adults and adolescents often do not get the essential vitamins and minerals needed from their diet, even if it is well-balanced. This is the overall consensus shared by outstanding scientists in the field of micronutrient research, who gathered today at the Universidad Politéchnica de Madrid on the occasion of the first European Nutritionals Press Workshop organized by Bayer HealthCare. Pfizer Inc has provided an update to its pipeline, highlighting the progression of clinical programs in high-priority therapeutic areas, and announced the start of Phase 3 clinical trials for two new molecular entities. In total, the company initiated seven Phase 3 programs within the past six months.