Today, Novartis further embraces the worldwide vision impairment community by supporting World Sight Day with the launch of a new Facebook 'Retina App'. The app simulates retinal disease by illustrating the user's journey by showing a highly realistic view of what the impact of vision loss on their daily life could look like.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) and Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE) inaugurated the Translational and Clinical Research Center (TCRC) at the prestigious Alexandria Center for Life Science in Manhattan's East Side Medical Corridor by hosting New York officials and dignitaries as well as life science leaders from institutions across the U.S.

Following the recent commercial introduction of five new drugs to address the medical needs of patients with various diseases, Bayer is now accelerating the development of further five promising drug candidates which are currently undergoing phase I and II clinical studies. The company plans to progress these five new highly innovative drug candidates in the areas of oncology, cardiology, and women's health into phase III clinical studies by 2015.

Anticoagulants are an indispensable treatment to prevent dangerous blood clots that can cause devastating ischaemic strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation or life-threatening pulmonary embolism in patients with venous thromboembolism.(1,2) An increased risk of bleeding is a known possible complication of all anticoagulant therapies.(3)

Novartis announced results from the head-to-head Phase III FIXTURE study showing secukinumab (AIN457), an interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitor, was significantly superior to Enbrel®* (etanercept) in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis[1]. Enbrel is a current standard-of-care anti-TNF medication approved to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

The International Atherosclerosis Society (IAS) and Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning & Change (IGLC) have announced their collaboration on a new grant opportunity focused on improving care for patients around the world with medium or high levels of cardiovascular risk, with a particular focus on dyslipidemia.

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) has successfully completed its previously announced tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ONXX) for $125 per share in cash. As announced on Aug. 25, the purchase price is $9.7 billion net of estimated Onyx cash.