Merz, a global, diversified healthcare company, has announced plans for a new business structure that will enable the company to better address customer and patient needs, shorten innovation cycles and capitalize on new market opportunities.

HERTFORDSHIRE, England & PITTSBURGH & Mylan N.V. (NASDAQ: MYL) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced that the name of the new company to be formed by the planned combination of Mylan and Upjohn, a division of Pfizer, will be Viatris (pronounced 'viǝ-trīs).

eGenesis, a biotechnology company utilizing breakthrough gene editing technologies for the development of effective human-compatible organs to address the global organ shortage, successfully completed a USD 100 million Series B financing. The financing was led by Fresenius Medical Care Ventures (FMCV), with participation from new investors including Leaps by Bayer and Wellington Partners.

AstraZeneca announced three large-scale initiatives to build on the Company's long-standing commitment to China and advance global research and development (R&D) for innovative new medicines. The announcements made at the 2nd annual China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai include the creation of a new Global R&D Centre and an artificial intelligence (AI) Innovation Centre, both in Shanghai, and the creation of a first-of-its-kind Healthcare Industrial Fund with China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC).

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today that a team of its scientists identified a new subtype of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), called HIV-1 Group M, subtype L.(1) The findings, published today in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS), show the role next-generation genome sequencing is playing in helping researchers stay one step ahead of mutating viruses and avoiding new pandemics.

Novartis, a leader in rheumatology and immuno-dermatology, announced results from the EXCEED head-to-head trial comparing Cosentyx® (secukinumab) to Humira®* (adalimumab) in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA)[1]. While Cosentyx narrowly missed statistical significance for superiority in ACR 20, the primary endpoint of the EXCEED trial, it showed numerically higher results versus Humira®*[1].

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) and LabCentral, an innovative, shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for life sciences and biotech startups, today announced that Carmine Therapeutics and STIMIT are the winners of Bristol-Myers Squibb's 2019 Golden Tickets for LabCentral.