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)

AstraZeneca PLC ("AstraZeneca") notes the announcement made by Pfizer Inc. ("Pfizer") dated 19 May 2014 seeking to clarify certain matters set out in its announcement on 18 May 2014 which set out its final proposal to AstraZeneca (the "Final Proposal Announcement"). Following some questions from shareholders, AstraZeneca wishes to make clear the following points:

The Board of AstraZeneca PLC notes the announcement by Pfizer Inc. of its final proposal to combine the two companies. Leif Johansson, Chairman of AstraZeneca mentioned that the final proposal is a minor improvement which continues to fall short of the Board's view of value and has been rejected.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Latin American pharmaceutical company CFR Pharmaceuticals, more than doubling its Latin American branded generics pharmaceutical presence and further expanding Abbott's presence in fast-growing markets. Under the terms of the agreement, Abbott will acquire the holding company that indirectly owns approximately 73 percent of CFR Pharmaceuticals and will conduct a public cash tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of CFR.

AstraZeneca announced that MedImmune, its global biologics research and development arm, has entered into a clinical study collaboration with biopharmaceutical company Incyte Corporation. The Phase I/II oncology study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of MedImmune's investigational anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, MEDI4736, in combination with Incyte's oral indoleamine dioxygenase-1 (IDO1) inhibitor, INCB24360.

In order to add to scientific and medical progress, Boehringer Ingelheim is engaged in a program to make clinical study data and other clinical study related documents more widely accessible for approved products or after termination of a drug development program.

Bayer HealthCare will start sharing data from its clinical studies through the internet portal http://www.clinicalstudydatarequest.com. From now on, qualified researchers can request anonymized patient-level data from Bayer HealthCare sponsored clinical studies listed on the website. By joining the portal, Bayer HealthCare is supporting efforts of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to increase the transparency of data from clinical studies.