Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) and Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Bristol-Myers Squibb will acquire privately held Amira Pharmaceuticals, a small-molecule pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and early development of new drugs to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.

AstraZeneca announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BRILINTA (ticagrelor) tablets to reduce the rate of heart attack (myocardial infarction [MI]) and cardiovascular (CV) death in adult patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), compared to clopidogrel.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and Icagen, Inc. (Nasdaq: ICGN) have entered into a definitive merger agreement. Pfizer, which currently owns approximately 11% of Icagen's fully diluted shares, will acquire the remaining 8.3 million shares at a price of $6.00 per share.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) and AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) reported the outcome of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee meeting on the New Drug Application for the investigational compound dapagliflozin.

Novartis' net sales rose 27% (+19% cc) to USD 14.9 billion. Currency benefited sales by 8% as the US dollar weakened against most currencies. Recently launched products grew 46% over the previous-year quarter, contributing USD 3.8 billion to total net sales for the Group.

Abbott plans to develop two new formulations of its HIV medicines, Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) and Norvir (ritonavir), to offer new formulation options for people living with HIV-1. The company is currently investigating a new powder formulation of Norvir as well as a co-formulation of three HIV medicines - lopinavir, ritonavir and 3TC (lamivudine).

Novartis has started shipping seasonal influenza vaccine to its US customers for the 2011-2012 influenza season. Early delivery of seasonal influenza vaccine will ensure healthcare professionals have the ability to provide the earliest possible protection against influenza.