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.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced charitable donations totaling more than $1 million to be granted between 2014 and 2016 to seven nonprofit organizations that support patients with cardiovascular disease.

Merck, a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in the pharmaceutical, chemical and life science sectors, and Sigma-Aldrich today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Merck will acquire Sigma-Aldrich for $17.0 billion (€13.1 billion), establishing one of the leading players in the $130 billion global life science industry.

AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) today announced an agreement to jointly develop and commercialise AZD3293, an oral beta secretase cleaving enzyme (BACE) inhibitor currently in development as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

For the sixth consecutive year, Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) has been recognised by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) as the Group Leader in sustainability within the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences Industry. This places Roche amongst the top 10 percent of companies across all surveyed industries.