Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) have announced an agreement to pursue regulatory approval of nonprescription Cialis (tadalafil). Cialis is currently available by prescription only worldwide for the treatment of men with erectile dysfunction (ED).

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) and Syngene International, India's largest contract research organization, have announced a five-year extension of their drug discovery and development collaboration in India. Financial terms were not disclosed.

AstraZeneca provided an update on the rapid development of its oncology pipeline at a briefing for analysts and investors on 2 June 2014, as compelling data from over 40 scientific abstracts related to AstraZeneca and MedImmune investigational medicines were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago.

Bayer has entered into a global agreement with Orion Corporation, a pharmaceutical company based in Espoo, Finland, (Nasdaq OMX Helsinki: ORNAV and ORNBV) for the development and commercialization of the compound ODM-201, an investigational novel oral androgen receptor inhibitor. ODM-201 is in clinical development for the treatment of patients with prostate cancer.

Despite the high level of public attention devoted to breast cancer awareness, more than 60 percent of respondents in a new national survey commissioned by Pfizer Inc. say they know little to nothing about metastatic breast cancer.(1) The survey is the first of its kind to examine the general public's understanding of metastatic breast cancer, which affects up to 250,000 women and men in the U.S. today.(2)

In support of World MS Day, Novartis announced today the launch of the 7-Day Challenge to Live Like You for people with MS. The 7-Day Challenge to Live Like You, one of the first integrations of emerging technological trends by a pharmaceutical company, is simple: using wearable technology or accessing personal online systems that people use on a daily basis, including calendars, social media channels and fitness trackers, people with MS are invited to track their activities for seven days and gain valuable insights into what works best for their lifestyle.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) has announced the introduction in the U.S. of over-the-counter (OTC) Nexium®24HR, making The Purple Pill® available for the treatment of frequent heartburn (two or more days a week) in adults (18 years and older). Heartburn affects more than 60 million men and women in the United States at least once a month with 15 million Americans suffering from it daily.(1)