AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) are discontinuing the global Phase III clinical trials of lanabecestat, an oral beta secretase cleaving enzyme (BACE) inhibitor, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The decision is based on recommendations by an independent data monitoring committee (IDMC), which concluded that both the AMARANTH trial, in early Alzheimer's disease, and the DAYBREAK-ALZ trial, in mild Alzheimer's disease dementia, were not likely to meet their primary endpoints upon completion and therefore should be stopped for futility.

The Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), Pharmacy Management Consultants (PMC) and Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) announced a new collaborative agreement to help improve clinical outcomes, experience and satisfaction for Oklahoma's 796,000 SoonerCare (Oklahoma Medicaid) members. Results from the projects also could lay the groundwork for innovative ways to look at patient outcomes and measures for medication reimbursement.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) and granted Priority Review for Hemlibra® (emicizumab-kxwh) for adults and children with haemophilia A without factor VIII inhibitors. The sBLA is based on data from the phase III HAVEN 3 study.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) today announced it plans to invest $600 million in biotechnology and other emerging growth companies through Pfizer Ventures, the company’s venture investment vehicle. In addition to increased funding, Pfizer will extend its leadership as a venture capital investor with an expanded team that leverages expertise across venture capital investing, business development, drug discovery and clinical development.

Novartis announced the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended approval for Aimovig® (erenumab) for the prevention of migraine in adults who have at least four migraine days per month. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed migraine as one of the top ten causes of years lived with disability worldwide[1].

The Pfizer Foundation announced a new $5 million grant commitment to initiatives in low- and middle-income countries that provide family planning access and education for women and men at the same time children are routinely vaccinated. These new grants build on The Pfizer Foundation's existing grant program by providing a second round of funding to international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) in five African countries where different barriers exist for women to access family planning services, bringing the total program funding to $11.7 million to date.

The Amgen Foundation and Harvard University today announced plans to launch a free online science education platform uniquely designed to level the playing field for aspiring scientists. The LabXchange platform, which will launch with a focus in biology, will offer digital instruction and virtual lab experiences to high school and college students, enabling them to gain meaningful exposure to the scientific process.