GlaxoSmithKline confirmed that the company has commenced the Phase III clinical trials programme of its candidate herpes zoster vaccine currently being developed for the prevention of shingles. The phase III clinical trials will study more than 30,000 patients globally and will evaluate the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of the candidate vaccine.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that it has signed an agreement under which Ventana Medical Systems Inc., a member of the Roche Group, will acquire 100 percent of BioImagene, Inc., a privately held company based in Sunnyvale, California.

GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) and Human Genome Sciences, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a priority review designation to Benlysta® (belimumab) as a potential treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted, for filing and review, the Biologics License Application (BLA) for ipilimumab for the treatment of adult patients with advanced melanoma who have been previously treated.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) will halt development of semagacestat, a gamma secretase inhibitor being studied as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease, because preliminary results from two ongoing long-term Phase III studies showed it did not slow disease progression and was associated with worsening of clinical measures of cognition and the ability to perform activities of daily living.

H. Lundbeck A/S (Lundbeck) reports second quarter revenue of DKK 3,767 million. An increase of 7% compared to the second quarter results of 2009. Profit from operations was DKK 936 million, an increase of 30% compared to the same period last year.

August marks National Psoriasis Awareness Month, an opportunity to raise awareness about psoriasis, a skin disease that affects nearly 7.5 million Americans. For those living with this condition, finding information about what's happening to them can be a challenge.