AstraZeneca and Targacept, Inc., announced the enrolment of the first patient in the Phase 3 clinical development program for TC-5214, a nicotinic channel blocker.

Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) announced the 34 science teachers in the United States (U.S.), Canada and Puerto Rico who are this year's recipients of the 18th annual Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence.

Findings from an open-label, uncontrolled long-term extension of a Phase 3 registration trial demonstrated efficacy of SIMPONI in patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis despite methotrexate therapy at two years.

Following a priority review, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tasigna® (nilotinib) for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced that new data being presented at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) congress demonstrates that RoACTEMRA (known as ACTEMRA outside Europe) is highly effective in improving the signs and symptoms of systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (sJIA), a severe childhood arthritis, where there are no currently licensed treatments.

Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany, and OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced a global strategic alliance to discover, develop and commercialize novel anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics targeting the Wnt signaling pathway.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) and Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. have entered into a collaboration agreement to develop and commercialize elagolix for the treatment of endometriosis-related pain. Elagolix is a novel, first-in-class oral gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist, which has recently completed a phase IIb study in endometriosis.