Allied Minds (LSE: ALM) and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) have announced the formation of Allied-Bristol Life Sciences LLC, a new jointly owned enterprise created to identify and foster research and pre-clinical development of biopharmaceutical innovations from leading university research institutions across the U.S.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) has agreed to acquire Santaris Pharma, a privately held biopharmaceutical company based near Copenhagen, Denmark. Santaris Pharma has pioneered its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) platform that has contributed to an emerging era of RNA-targeting therapeutics.

Pfizer Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Baxter International Inc.'s portfolio of marketed vaccines for $635 million. As part of the transaction, Pfizer will also acquire a portion of Baxter's facility in Orth, Austria, where these vaccines are manufactured.

AstraZeneca today announced that it has entered an agreement to transfer to the company the rights to Almirall's respiratory franchise for an initial consideration of $875 million on completion, and up to $1.22 billion in development, launch, and sales-related milestones. AstraZeneca has also agreed to make various sales-related payments.

The Bayer Group was again successful in the second quarter of 2014. Sales of the Bayer Group rose by 0.9 percent in the second quarter of 2014 to EUR 10,458 million (Q2 2013: EUR 10,360 million). Adjusted for currency and portfolio effects (Fx & portfolio adj.), sales advanced by 6.3 percent.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) has reported financial results for the second quarter of 2014, which was highlighted by strong global sales for the company's key brands; the achievement of important regulatory milestones for key brands in Japan, Europe and the U.S.; a new strategic immuno-oncology collaboration agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; and the initiation of several research collaborations that will strengthen the company's leadership position in immuno-oncology.

Merck, a leading company for high-tech products in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors, today reiterated its commitment to investments in the Chinese market, strengthening a major pillar of its emerging markets growth strategy.