Novartis held a groundbreaking ceremony to announce the start of construction of a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in St. Petersburg, Russia. The construction of this facility represents the most significant Novartis investment in Russia to date.

AstraZeneca announced today that it plans to establish a Predictive Science Centre in St. Petersburg over the coming year. The move strengthens AstraZeneca's investments in Russia and supports the Russian Government's strategy to modernise and develop the country's pharmaceutical sector.

Nycomed has completed the transfer of marketing authorisation approvals in a number of key Asia-Pacific markets for osteoporosis treatment Bonviva (Ibandronate). The licensing agreement with Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) marks a further strengthening of Nycomed's bone health franchise in the region.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has entered into an agreement to acquire the remaining 51% equity interest of Shenzhen Neptunus Interlong Bio-Technique Co. Ltd (Neptunus) in the joint venture (JV) company, Shenzhen GSK-Neptunus Biologicals Co. Ltd. (GSKNB), for a total cash consideration of£24 million (US$39 million).

Synthes, Inc. (SIX: SYST.VX) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced the signing of an exclusive worldwide collaboration agreement to address the needs of patients who are cared for by orthopedic surgeons, including those with osteoporosis and those with bone fractures.

GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE/TSX: VRX) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Potiga™ (ezogabine) Tablets, a potassium channel opener, as adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients aged 18 years and older.

Interim efficacy and safety results from a long-term, 54-week, Phase III open-label study of Abbott's investigational treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease showed that patients treated with levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) for 12 weeks reported a decrease in "off" time and an increase in "on" time without troublesome dyskinesias.