AstraZeneca and Rigel Pharmaceuticals today announced an exclusive worldwide license agreement for the global development and commercialisation of fostamatinib disodium (R788), Rigel's late-stage investigational product for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and additional indications.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced that it has completed its EUR 4.5 billion ($6.2 billion) acquisition of Belgium-based Solvay Pharmaceuticals, providing Abbott with a large and complementary portfolio of pharmaceutical products and expanding Abbott's presence in key global emerging markets.

Abbott announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval of a new tablet formulation of the company's antiretroviral medication Norvir® (ritonavir). The new Norvir tablets can be stored at room temperature and do not require refrigeration, making it more convenient for patients.

Roche has announced that results from the first five Phase III clinical trials show that taspoglutide has met the primary end-points of reduction in blood glucose (blood sugar) in these studies.

Lilly USA recently was recognized by the eHealthcare Leadership Awards and the Web Marketing Association for its Health Education Answers program, an interactive health and wellness tool.

Novartis has gained exclusive rights to develop and market Debio 025 (alisporivir), a potential first-in-class antiviral agent currently in Phase IIb development for the treatment of hepatitis C.

AstraZeneca announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved CRESTOR (rosuvastatin calcium) to reduce the risk of stroke, myocardial infarction (heart attack) and arterial revascularization procedures in individuals without clinically evident coronary heart disease but with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)