AstraZeneca and Targacept, Inc. announced a collaboration and licence agreement for the global development and commercialisation of TC-5214, Targacept's late-stage investigational product for major depressive disorder (MDD). TC-5214, which recently completed a phase IIb clinical trial, is a nicotinic channel blocker that is thought to treat depression by modulating the activity of various neuronal nicotinic receptor (NNR) subtypes.

The educational resource, "The Value of Medicine, Improving Health... Improving Life," created by Lilly USA (NYSE: LLY), is now available for download. The booklet supports Lilly's commitment to providing "Answers That Matter" and encourages an open dialogue with patients, providers, payers and the public about pharmaceutical industry practices.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that the World Health Organization (WHO) has awarded prequalification for global use of Arepanrix™, GSK's adjuvanted H1N1 pandemic vaccine manufactured in Canada. This is the first prequalification for an H1N1 pandemic vaccine, and is a key step in ensuring the vaccine can be distributed to developing countries.

Merck KGaA announced that its US affiliate received a refuse to file letter from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the New Drug Application (NDA) for Cladribine Tablets, Merck Serono's proprietary investigational oral formulation of cladribine, as a therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Protalix (NYSE-Amex: PLX) have entered into an agreement to develop and commercialize taliglucerase alfa, a plant-cell expressed form of glucocerebrosidase (GCD) in development for the potential treatment of Gaucher's disease.

The National AIDS Fund (NAF) and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) announced their intention to launch "Positive Charge", a new multiyear initiative aimed at helping to break down the barriers that prevent people living with HIV from receiving HIV care, treatment and necessary support. The initiative is slated to launch in January 2010.

Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany, is progressing with the development of florbetaben to support Alzheimer diagnosis. On the occasion of the 95th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), the company announced the enrollment of first patients in an international clinical Phase III trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of florbetaben (BAY 94-9172) PET imaging in the detection of beta-Amyloid deposition in the brain.