Merck, the vibrant science and technology company, today announced that the Australian Patent Office has allowed the company's patent application for the use of paired CRISPR nickases. Paired nickases represent a significant step in increasing safety by driving specificity through a highly flexible and efficient approach to reduce off-target effects.

AstraZeneca and Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, US (known as MSD outside the US and Canada) announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted orphan designation to selumetinib, a MEK 1/2 inhibitor, for the treatment of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).

Boehringer Ingelheim, the UK Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium (GTC) - consisting of Imperial College London and the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh - Imperial Innovations, and Oxford BioMedica (OXB) announce a global collaboration to develop a first-in-class, long-term therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Grants4Impact (G4I), a new energizer program launched by Bayer Cares Foundation, is providing targeted support to social impact pioneers and start-ups in the fields of healthcare and nutrition. The aim of the program is to give selected change-makers around the world new opportunities to grow and transform great ideas into powerful impact solutions that help to improve the lives of millions.

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) today announced the groundbreaking of its new next-generation biomanufacturing plant that will be constructed at its West Greenwich, R.I. campus. The new plant is the first-of-its-kind in the U.S. and will use Amgen's proven next-generation biomanufacturing capabilities to manufacture products for the U.S. and global markets.

Novartis announced today that the European Commission (EC) approved Aimovig® (erenumab) for the prevention of migraine in adults experiencing four or more migraine days per month. Aimovig is the first and only treatment specifically designed for migraine prevention to be approved in the European Union, Switzerland, the US and Australia.

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.