Sandoz, the Novartis generic and biosimilar pharmaceutical division, announces the launch of Sandoz HACk - Healthcare Access Challenge - a global competition to generate innovative ideas and solutions to help tackle some of the world's most pressing healthcare access problems. The competition is open for entries until November 30, 2016.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) and Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq:NKTR) today announced a new clinical collaboration to evaluate Bristol-Myers Squibb's Opdivo (nivolumab) with Nektar's investigational medicine, NKTR-214, as a potential combination treatment regimen in five tumor types and seven potential indications.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) announced that, after an extensive evaluation, the company's Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team have determined the company is best positioned to maximize future shareholder value creation in its current structure and will not pursue splitting Pfizer Innovative Health and Pfizer Essential Health into two, separate publicly traded companies at this time.

Novartis has published proof of concept study results in the New England Journal of Medicine showing that its new antimalarial compound, KAF156, demonstrated activity against both vivax and falciparum malaria, including artemisinin-resistant parasites.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) and LabCentral, an innovative, shared laboratory space designed as a launch pad for life-sciences and biotech startups, today announced that PanTher and Suono Bio are the winners of Bristol-Myers Squibb's Golden Tickets for LabCentral. As a platinum sponsor of LabCentral, Bristol-Myers Squibb can select up to two innovative life-sciences and biotech startup companies per year of active sponsorship for "Golden Tickets," which underwrite the cost of one lab bench for one year in LabCentral's Kendall Square facility.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today that it will sell Abbott Medical Optics, its vision care business, to Johnson & Johnson for $4.325 billion in cash. Abbott's vision business has products in areas including cataract surgery, laser vision correction (LASIK) and corneal care products (contact solution, eye drops, etc.).

The Novartis Foundation and its partners will highlight progress in efforts toward accelerating the elimination of leprosy at the 19th International Leprosy Congress (ILC) held in Beijing, China from September 18 - 21, 2016. Updates in 11 abstracts on four Novartis Foundation-supported leprosy initiatives in low- and middle-income countries will be showcased in scientific sessions.