Roche will join forces with Novo Nordisk and the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) in Novo Nordisk's five-year program called "Changing Diabetes in Children". Roche Diabetes Care will actively endorse humanitarian activities in this project which is starting in Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Guinea-Conakry and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

On 8 April 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee (PDAC) conducted a review of the safety and efficacy of supplemental new drug applications (sNDA) for SEROQUEL XR (quetiapine fumarate) extended-release tablets proposed for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).

Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ) has entered into an agreement to acquire the worldwide rights to Campath® (alemtuzumab) from Bayer HealthCare, giving Genzyme primary responsibility for the development and commercialization of this potential break-though treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). Bayer will continue to fund a portion of alemtuzumab's development in MS and will retain an option to co-promote the product in MS upon approval.

Pfizer Inc announced has become the first pharmaceutical company to be accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) for ensuring the protection of human subjects taking part in early-stage clinical trials.

Pfizer Inc has provided an update to its pipeline, highlighting the progression of clinical programs in high-priority therapeutic areas, and announced the start of Phase 3 clinical trials for two new molecular entities. In total, the company initiated seven Phase 3 programs within the past six months.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced the submission of two simultaneous regulatory applications to expand the use of Tyverb®/Tykerb® (lapatinib). If authorised, lapatinib could be used as a first-line therapy regimen combined with anti-hormonal therapy for patients with hormone-sensitive, metastatic (or advanced) breast cancer in Europe and the United States.

Pfizer Inc announced the results of a study that found that 47 percent of smokers with a history of cardiovascular disease who took CHANTIX/CHAMPIX® (varenicline) were able to quit smoking and remain abstinent during the last four weeks of treatment (weeks 9-12) compared with just 13.9 percent of those given placebo. These findings were presented today at the American College of Cardiology 58th Annual Scientific Session in Orlando, Fla.