Abbott (NYSE: ABT) is supporting Operation Smile's global initiative to help bring smiles to kids with facial deformities by providing treatment to an estimated 5,000 children in need of surgeries. The initiative, which is part of Operation Smile's 25th anniversary celebration - World Journey of Smiles - takes place this month and consists of 40 medical missions across 25 countries. Abbott has donated 1,700 bottles of its anesthesia product, valued at almost $500,000, for the surgeries.

The independent judging panel of the Eloquium Award has today named three journalists as winners of the 2007 competition for excellence in reporting on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) the fastest growing cause of death in the world's most advanced economies. Currently, 600 million people live with COPD which is projected to become the world’s third-leading cause of death by 2020.[1,2]

Roche announced licensing and settlement agreements with Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. and Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics in the field of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Diagnostics. Under the terms of the licensing agreement Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. and Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics granted Roche Diagnostics a worldwide royalty-bearing license under their broad patent portfolio for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in the field of immunodiagnostics.

14 November is World Diabetes Day (WDD). This year is the first time that WDD is officially recognised by the United Nations. Novo Nordisk is celebrating the day with activities all over the world, from the UN building in New York to the pyramids of Egypt.

Lundbeck has initiated phase I clinical trials with the pharmaceutical candidate Lu AA47070 to investigate safety, tolerability and the pharmacokinetic profile of the compound in humans. Lu AA47070 is a novel adenosine receptor antagonist that has been shown to be efficacious in a number of animal models for neurological diseases including models of Parkinson's disease.

Findings from three phase III clinical trials will be presented in the plenary session and during oral presentations at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, from December 8 to 11, 2007. The studies evaluated rivaroxaban in head-to-head comparison with enoxaparin, the current standard of care, for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients undergoing major orthopaedic surgery.

At a media roundtable in Brussels, Novo Nordisk presented the Changing Diabetes Barometer, which will measure and share the worldwide progress in the fight against diabetes on an annual basis. The Barometer is a tool that will provide healthcare professionals, patient organisations, politicians, institutions and media with valuable information on how to improve the quality of diabetes care, bring down diabetes-related complications, extend patients' life expectancy and reduce costs.