Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced ExploreBio, a pre-seed-investment vehicle by four investment funds targeted at early-stage companies in the biotechnology landscape in Israel. For this purpose the strategic corporate venture capital arm of Merck has partnered with Arkin Holdings, Pontifax and WuXi AppTec to create the € 20 million pre-seed investment vehicle.

Novartis and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have formed an alliance to advance development of Novartis' drug candidate KDU731 for the treatment of cryptosporidiosis. Diarrheal diseases are one of the leading causes of childhood mortality globally, resulting in approximately 525,000 deaths each year and cryptosporidiosis is the second leading cause of infectious diarrhea in children under 2 years of age[1]-[2].

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) and Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq:NKTR) announced the companies have executed a global strategic development and commercialization collaboration for Nektar's lead immuno-oncology program, NKTR-214. Under the collaboration, the companies will jointly develop and commercialize NKTR-214 in combination with Bristol-Myers Squibb's Opdivo (nivolumab) and Opdivo plus Yervoy (ipilimumab) in

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) today announced its once-daily oral Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) inhibitor PF-04965842 received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). The Phase 3 program for PF-04965842 initiated in December and is the first trial in the JAK1 Atopic Dermatitis Efficacy and Safety (JADE) global development program.

Merck, a leading science and technology ­company, is celebrating its anniversary by conducting 350 charitable activities in around 60 countries. Taking responsibility has always been an integral part of the entrepreneurial approach of Merck and is one of its six values. On the occasion of its 350th anniversary, the company will further intensify its social engagement activities together with its employees.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) and Ignyta, Inc. today announced that Roche's wholly owned subsidiary Abingdon Acquisition Corp., has accepted for payment all shares validly tendered and not validly withdrawn pursuant to its tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of Ignyta, Inc. (NASDAQ: RXDX) at a price of USD 27.00 per share in cash.

AstraZeneca today announced results from a new sub-analysis of the Phase III PEGASUS-TIMI 54 trial, demonstrating a risk reduction of 19% in MACE (the composite of CV death, myocardial infarction, or stroke) (HR 0.81; 95% CI, 0.7-0.95) and of 36% in coronary death (HR 0.64; 95% CI, 0.45-0.89) from treatment with Brilinta 60mg (ticagrelor), in combination with low dose aspirin, in people who had survived a heart attack and had stenosis (abnormal narrowing) in two or more coronary blood vessels, a condition known as multi-vessel disease (MVD).