AstraZeneca has announced its submission of SEROQUEL XR (quetiapine fumarate extended release tablets) to European regulatory authorities seeking approval for both short-term and maintenance treatment of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Pfizer Ltd (NYSE:PFE) (LSE:PFZ) and UCB have announced the formation of Cyclofluidic, a breakthrough technology company established with the aim of significantly accelerating the drug discovery process by allowing researchers to test a greater range of potential new medicines in a shorter time.

GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) has announced that it will acquire the Egyptian mature products business of Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), for $210 (£125) million, in a move to accelerate sales growth and further extend its pharmaceutical portfolio in emerging markets.

Pfizer Inc announced today that it has reached agreements in principle to resolve substantially all of the personal injury cases, consumer fraud cases and state attorneys general claims involving its non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) pain medication Bextra, which Pfizer voluntarily withdrew from the U.S. market in 2005.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) has announced financial results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2008.

• Diluted earnings per share, excluding specified items, were $0.79, above Abbott's previously announced guidance range of $0.76 - $0.78, reflecting 17.9 percent growth.

The draft recommendations announced yesterday by NICE in the second technology appraisal consultation document (ACD) suggest that Tyverb (lapatinib) should not be used in the NHS, except in clinical trials.

Scrupulously researched articles dealing with a topic from the worlds of medicine or health care - articles written in a critical, comprehensible, yet objective manner - have an excellent chance of winning the 2008 European Journalists' Prize. The award, which is sponsored by Bayer HealthCare AG, Leverkusen/Germany, is endowed with EUR 7,500.