Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG), continuing on Baxalta's long-standing commitment to the bleeding disorder community, today announced the U.S. launch of VONVENDI [von Willebrand factor (Recombinant)], the only recombinant treatment for adults living with von Willebrand disease (VWD).

GSK (LSE/NYSE: GSK) has announced an agreement with Verily Life Sciences LLC (formerly Google Life Sciences), an Alphabet company, to form Galvani Bioelectronics to enable the research, development and commercialisation of bioelectronic medicines. GSK will hold a 55% equity interest in the new jointly owned company and Verily will hold 45%.

Boehringer Ingelheim reported currency-adjusted growth in all its core businesses in the first half of 2016. At the same time, the research-driven pharmaceutical company achieved key strategic milestones by signing contracts to exchange businesses with Sanofi and completing the internal restructuring of its human pharmaceuticals business.

Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to LEE011 (ribociclib), in combination with letrozole, for the treatment of hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) has acquired Bamboo Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company based in Chapel Hill, N.C., focused on developing gene therapies for the potential treatment of patients with certain rare diseases related to neuromuscular conditions and those affecting the central nervous system.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) today reported results for the second quarter of 2016, which were highlighted by strong sales, key regulatory and clinical milestones in Immuno-Oncology and business development transactions that strengthened the company's Immuno-Oncology pipeline.

Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, has announced two regulatory milestones for the company's investigational vaccine for Ebola Zaire, V920 (rVSV∆G-ZEBOV-GP, live attenuated): the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the vaccine candidate Breakthrough Therapy Designation, and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted PRIME (PRIority MEdicines) status.