Nycomed and EffRx have announced a licensing agreement on drug for the treatment of osteoporosis
Nycomed and EffRx have announced a licensing agreement on EffRx' drug EX101 (effervescent alendronate) for the treatment of osteoporosis. Under the agreement, Nycomed will receive the exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise the effervescent formulation of alendronate for the treatment of osteoporosis in a large number of countries worldwide. EX101 presents a significant enhancement to Nycomed's osteoporosis portfolio.
European clinicians will have a new weapon to combat cervical cancer with the introduction of Abbott Molecular's real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based diagnostic test for human papillomavirus (HPV). The CE-marked assay can identify patients infected with specific viral genotypes known to pose the highest risk for progression to cervical cancer.
Genzyme Corp. (NASDAQ: GENZ) has announced that revenue rose 13 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 and 21 percent for the year. Fourth quarter estimated revenues were $1.17 billion, reflecting an approximate negative $39 million impact of foreign exchange, compared with $1.04 billion in the same period in 2007. For the year, revenue grew to $4.6 billion from $3.8 billion in 2007. 
Merck KGaA and its Merck Serono division announced today the signature of a research, development and commercialization
agreement with Apitope Technology (Bristol, UK) Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Apitope International NV. Under this agreement, Apitope has granted exclusive worldwide rights to Merck Serono to develop and commercialize Apitope's product
ATX-MS-1467. 
MedImmune, the global biologics unit of AstraZeneca, has submitted a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) for its nasal spray live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), which is now being reviewed by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). The proposed indication in the MAA is for prevention of seasonal influenza.
Bayer Schering Pharma AG and Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., Japan have signed a licensing agreement for the use of novel
substances in the field of molecular imaging for cancer. Within the agreement, Bayer Schering Pharma acquires the worldwide exclusive rights for research, development and commercialization of a group of molecules that specifically bind to malignant tumor cells. In combination with positron emission tomography (PET), these tracers could potentially improve
the diagnosis of a variety of cancers.