Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE:SNY) and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) announced a three-year research collaboration agreement for the research of new treatments for nine neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for which new, adapted, and efficient tools are urgently needed to treat patients in endemic countries.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced new data from the ACT-RAY study, presented at the European League Against Rheumatism congress. The results demonstrated that in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), RoACTEMRA (tocilizumab, known as ACTEMRA outside Europe) alone had comparable clinical efficacy to RoACTEMRA plus methotrexate (MTX).

Pfizer Inc. announced strategic partnerships with ICON plc and PAREXEL International Corporation, both of which will serve as strategic providers of clinical trial implementation services over a five-year period beginning in June 2011.

A pre-planned subgroup analysis of the ROCKET AF Phase III clinical study confirms that rivaroxaban is highly effective in the prevention of recurrent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who have experienced a prior stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Nycomed announced results for the first quarter of 2011, demonstrating continued outperformance in the key emerging economies which are driving growth in the global pharmaceuticals industry.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced further progress on its commitment to reinvest 20% of profits made in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) back into projects that strengthen the healthcare infrastructure in those countries.

AstraZeneca announced a co-promotion agreement in Japan with Daiichi Sankyo for denosumab for the treatment of bone disorders stemming from bone metastasis.