In the first half of 2018, Group sales rose 7% to CHF 28.1 billion and core EPS grew 19%. Excluding the effect of the US tax reform, core EPS grew 8%, ahead of sales. Core EPS growth reflects the strong underlying business performance. IFRS net income increased 33%, due to the underlying core results and lower impairment of intangible assets compared to 2017.

AstraZeneca has agreed to sell the commercial rights to Atacand (candesartan cilexetil) and Atacand Plus (fixed-dose combination of candesartan cilexetil and hydrochlorothiazide) in Europe to Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH (Cheplapharm). Atacand is a prescription medicine for the treatment of heart failure and hypertension.

Novartis reaffirms its commitment to the fight against liver fluke (fascioliasis), signing a renewed memorandum of understanding with the World Health Organization (WHO) to extend its drug donation for Egaten® (triclabendazole) until 2022. Egaten is currently the only treatment for fascioliasis recommended by the WHO and is on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Tecentriq® (atezolizumab) in combination with Avastin® (bevacizumab) as an initial (first-line) treatment for people with advanced or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer.

Sanofi and REVOLUTION Medicines, Inc. today announced an exclusive worldwide partnership to develop and commercialize targeted therapies, based on the biology of the cellular enzyme SHP2, for patients with non-small lung cancer and other types of cancer carrying certain mutations. This collaboration builds on precision oncology discoveries by REVOLUTION Medicines and preclinical development of RMC-4630,

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and Spark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ONCE) announced today that Pfizer initiated a Phase 3 open-label, multi-center, lead-in study (NCT03587116) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of current factor IX prophylaxis replacement therapy in the usual care setting. The factor IX prophylaxis efficacy data obtained in the lead-in study will serve as the within-subject control group for

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) and MBC BioLabs (formerly QB3@953) announced that Delve Therapeutics and Mitokinin have won the Amgen Golden Ticket at MBC BioLabs. Each company receives one year of lab bench space and access to core facilities at the MBC BioLabs life sciences incubator, as well as connections to Amgen's scientific and business leaders to help advance its scientific programs.