Amgen Inc. (Nasdaq: AMGN) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Amgen's submission and filed a Biologics License Application (BLA) for denosumab, an investigational RANK Ligand inhibitor. The indications for which Amgen is seeking FDA approval are treatment and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) in women and treatment and prevention of bone loss in patients undergoing hormone ablation therapy for either prostate or breast cancer.

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation has announced funding of more than $1.17 million, focused on hepatitis C prevention and education and the mitigation of the disease in China, India, and Taiwan. The funding is part of Delivering Hope, an umbrella program for Bristol-Myers Squibb's (NYSE: BMY) efforts in the areas of hepatitis awareness, prevention and care. Organizations receiving funding are:

New data presented today showed that, for the first time, doctors can predict which hepatitis B patients treated with Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a) have the highest chance to achieve a positive treatment outcome-and even a clinical cure(1,2). The study results represent an important step forward, as some patients will now be able to feel confident during their Pegasys treatment about the likelihood of beating the disease.

Sanofi-aventis (Paris Bourse: EURONEXT: SAN; and New York: NYSE: SNY) announced that the ATHENA trial was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The trial showed that Multaq® (dronedarone), in addition to standard therapy, significantly reduced the risk of first cardiovascular hospitalization or death by 24 percent (31.9% vs. 39.4%, p<0.001) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF)/atrial flutter (AFL) or a recent history of these conditions.

Sandoz has received final approval for its third biosimilar, filgrastim, paving the way for this important oncology medicine to be made available to patients across the European Union. Filgrastim is indicated for the treatment of neutropenia, a condition characterized by a lack of neutrophils - one of the most common types of white blood cells - whose role is to fight infection in the body.

Novartis has gained the exclusive worldwide rights to elinogrel, a promising anti-clotting agent in Phase II clinical trials that has shown potential to offer clinical improvements over current anti-clotting medications in helping patients avoid heart attacks and strokes.

Bayer Schering Pharma AG, the pharmaceutical division of Bayer HealthCare (BHC), announced today that it will be strengthening its global Research and Development (R&D) capabilities through the foundation of a global R&D center in Beijing, China. The company will invest some 100 million Euro over the next five years to establish the center.