Pfizer Inc announced today that it has reached agreements in principle to resolve substantially all of the personal injury cases, consumer fraud cases and state attorneys general claims involving its non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) pain medication Bextra, which Pfizer voluntarily withdrew from the U.S. market in 2005.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) has announced financial results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2008.

• Diluted earnings per share, excluding specified items, were $0.79, above Abbott's previously announced guidance range of $0.76 - $0.78, reflecting 17.9 percent growth.

The draft recommendations announced yesterday by NICE in the second technology appraisal consultation document (ACD) suggest that Tyverb (lapatinib) should not be used in the NHS, except in clinical trials.

Scrupulously researched articles dealing with a topic from the worlds of medicine or health care - articles written in a critical, comprehensible, yet objective manner - have an excellent chance of winning the 2008 European Journalists' Prize. The award, which is sponsored by Bayer HealthCare AG, Leverkusen/Germany, is endowed with EUR 7,500.

An early proof-of-concept study shows promising results for imatinib in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a severe, incurable blood vessel disorder. Preliminary findings from a 59-patient, multi-center Phase II clinical trial suggest imatinib provides a treatment benefit, as demonstrated by a significant improvement in pulmonary vascular resistance and a numerical increase in cardiac output, key hemodynamic measures used to monitor the progression of the disease.

Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ) has announced that scientists have again named the company a top employer in a survey ranking the reputations of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. This year Genzyme moved up in the ranking to third on the global list of nearly 500 companies, the highest ranking it has ever earned.

The European Respiratory Society (ERS) has announced that Dr Esther Barreiro, Municipal Institute of Medical Investigation/Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain is this year's winner of the Society's annual award for research in the field of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).