The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Dupixent® (dupilumab) as an add-on maintenance therapy in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma aged 12 years and older with an eosinophilic phenotype or with oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma.

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd. announced Amgen's equity investment of £50 million ($66 million) in Oxford Nanopore, a privately-owned, UK-based company advancing a new generation of portable, real-time genetic sequencing technology.

AstraZeneca and Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., US (Merck: known as MSD outside the US and Canada) announced that they were granted orphan drug designation (ODD) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Lynparza (olaparib) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) announced that AMGEVITATM, a biosimilar to adalimumab, will launch in markets across Europe beginning on Oct. 16, 2018. AMGEVITA is the first adalimumab biosimilar to be approved by the European Commission (EC). AMGEVITA is authorized for the treatment of

Novartis, a leader in immuno-dermatology and rheumatology, announced today it will be presenting five-year data from the ongoing extensions of the phase III FUTURE 1 and MEASURE 1 studies for Cosentyx® (secukinumab) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA)[1] and ankylosing spondylitis (AS)[2] respectively.

Boehringer Ingelheim announced the start of a new self-help project in India to increase awareness of hygiene and health. On the occasion of the Global Handwashing Day 2018, October 15 the company would like to draw attention to the hygienic conditions in the impoverished regions around the world.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today that Robert B. Ford has been named president and chief operating officer, effective immediately. Mr. Ford, a 22-year Abbott veteran, was most recently executive vice president of Medical Devices, Abbott's largest business.