Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) and Simcere Pharmaceutical Group (NYSE: SCR), a leading pharmaceutical company in China, today announced that the companies have expanded their strategic relationship formed in 2010. The companies have agreed to collaborate in China on the development and commercialization of the subcutaneous (SC) formulation of Bristol-Myers Squibb's biologic medicine, Orencia® (abatacept), for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Pfizer Inc. announced today a $2.15 billion settlement reached with Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries, Limited and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Limited for patent-infringement damages resulting from their "at-risk" launches of generic Protonix® in the United States.

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for licensure of its four-strain influenza vaccine, Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine. Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine is the newest addition to the Fluzone family of influenza vaccines.

AstraZeneca announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Pearl Therapeutics, a privately held company based in Redwood City, California, focused on the development of inhaled small-molecule therapeutics for respiratory disease.

Boehringer Ingelheim has signed with Zhangjiang Biotech & Pharmaceutical Base Development Company in Pudong, Shanghai a strategic alliance agreement and contract to build a cGMP biopharmaceuticals facility. The new site will provide full range of development and clinical services to Chinese and multi-national customers.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) and AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted and granted a Priority Review designation for the Biologics License Application (BLA) for metreleptin, an investigational agent for the treatment of metabolic disorders associated with inherited or acquired lipodystrophy (LD), a rare disease estimated to affect a few thousand people around the world, often with an early age of onset.

Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) today announced topline results of two Phase 3 clinical studies of its investigational compounds iniparib and otamixaban respectively.