Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) has announced that it will expand the company's Advancing Science through Pfizer Investigator Research Exchange (ASPIRE) program in 2017 to award up to $5.5 million (USD) in new competitive grants to fund research studies involving Pfizer products in both breast and hematologic cancers. This expanded program will be known as the ASPIRE Oncology/Hematology Clinical Research Awards.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) today announced important changes to its U.S. geographic footprint that will strengthen capabilities of the company's R&D hubs of world-class science and innovation in Central New Jersey, the San Francisco Bay Area and Cambridge, Massachusetts while further integrating biologics development with clinical manufacturing at key sites to foster greater speed and collaboration.

Novartis has announced the launch of an innovative technology-based healthcare program called SMS for Life 2.0 in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The program aims to increase the availability of essential medicines and improve care for patients across the region by using simple, available, and affordable technology.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Avastin® (bevacizumab), either in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel or in combination with carboplatin and gemcitabine chemotherapy, followed by Avastin alone, for the treatment of patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

Results from a new international survey of physicians revealed more patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) could benefit from targeted therapy based on their lung cancer type, over the use of chemotherapy.(1) Test results to identify EGFR mutations were not available prior to deciding on therapy for nearly one in five (18%*) patients for whom a test was ordered.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) has filed a complaint to terminate its proposed acquisition of Alere based on the substantial loss in Alere's value following the merger agreement. In the 10 months following the Jan. 30, 2016, signing of the agreement, Alere has suffered a series of damaging business developments, including the government eliminating the billing privileges of a substantial Alere division,

Novo Nordisk has announced that NovoSeven® (rFVIIa), a portable room temperature stable recombinant activated factor VIIa, resolved 96.5% of bleeds when initiated within one hour after onset of bleeding, demonstrating efficacy of early treatment in people with haemophilia A or B with inhibitors.(1) Efficacy also remained high for bleeds treated after 4 hours.