GSK has announced a $5 million Innovation Challenge Fund (ICF) to further encourage and advance collaborative research as part of its effort to develop bioelectronic medicines. The fund will support academic groups and small companies who want to develop solutions for GSK's Bioelectronics Innovation Challenge, which was developed by a group of leading scientists from around the world.

Novartis announced today that it has entered into a clinical collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of three molecularly targeted compounds in combination with Bristol-Myers Squibb's investigational PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, Opdivo® (nivolumab), in Phase I/II trials of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Bayer has completed the acquisition of the consumer care business of the U.S. pharmaceuticals group Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. The transaction closed on October 1, 2014, following receipt of required antitrust approvals.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and Kyowa Hakko Kirin (Tokyo:4151), have entered into an agreement to explore the therapeutic potential of the combination of Pfizer's PF-05082566, an investigational, fully humanized monoclonal antibody (mAb) that stimulates signaling through 4-1BB (CD-137), a protein involved in regulation of immune cell activation, proliferation and survival, with Kyowa Hakko Kirin's anti-CCR4 antibody mogamulizumab,

Novo Nordisk has announced that the company will establish a new obesity research unit in Seattle, Washington, in the US. The new unit is a result of Novo Nordisk's increasing focus on treatment of obesity. Its main task will be to identify novel approaches and targets for obesity treatments while increasing the scientific understanding of existing obesity targets.

AstraZeneca today announced that MedImmune, its global biologics research and development arm, and Cancer Research UK, with its commercial arm, Cancer Research Technology (CRT), have entered into an innovative collaboration to establish a joint laboratory in Cambridge, UK.

Boehringer Ingelheim and CureVac, leader in mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid)-based drug development, have announced an exclusive global license and development collaboration. The new collaboration focuses on CureVac's CV9202, a novel investigational therapeutic mRNA vaccine, in early clinical development for the treatment of lung cancer.