Sanofi-aventis (EURONEST: SAN and NYSE:SNY) has commenced a tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of Genzyme Corporation (NASDAQ: GENZ) for $69 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest and less any required withholding taxes.

Genzyme Corp. (NASDAQ: GENZ) said that its board of directors urged shareholders to take no action on an unsolicited tender offer from sanofi-aventis to acquire all outstanding common shares of Genzyme for $69 per share.

Sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced that data from the Phase III TROPIC study, which was the basis for the June 2010 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Jevtana® (cabazitaxel) Injection, was published in the October 2 issue of The Lancet in an article titled "Prednisone plus cabazitaxel or mitoxantrone for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer progressing after docetaxel treatment: a randomised open-label trial".

ROTATEQ® (Rotavirus Vaccine, Live, Oral, Pentavalent), Merck's vaccine for rotavirus gastroenteritis in infants and children, received the Prix Galien USA 2010 Award for Best Biotechnology Product.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has made the decision not to pursue further worldwide development of Simplirix™ (Herpes Simplex Vaccine), an experimental vaccine intended to prevent genital herpes disease in women.

AstraZeneca announced the enrollment of the first patient in the phase III clinical development programme for fostamatinib, a novel oral syk inhibitor. The phase III programme, called OSKIRA (Oral Syk Inhibition in Rheumatoid Arthritis), is designed to investigate fostamatinib as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients with an inadequate response to disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), including methotrexate (MTX).

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) has signed a binding agreement for the acquisition of VaxDesign, a privately held U.S. biotechnology company, based in Orlando, Florida, that develops, manufactures and markets in vitro models of the human immune system.