Business & Industry News Channel
Merck's second-quarter 2012 total revenues rose 12% to € 2,852 million compared to € 2,555 million in the second quarter of 2011. Sales were up 11% to € 2,743 million in second quarter compared to € 2,470 million in the year-ago quarter. This performance reflected organic sales growth of 5.1%, a 5.4% positive benefit from foreign exchange rates and a 0.5% increase from acquisitions and divestments. 
Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced that the phase III AVAglio study of Avastin plus radiation and temozolomide chemotherapy in people with newly diagnosed glioblastoma met its co-primary endpoint of a significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS). In the study, Avastin in combination with radiation and temozolomide chemotherapy significantly extended the time people with this aggressive form of primary brain cancer lived without their disease getting worse (PFS), compared to those treated with radiation and temozolomide chemotherapy plus placebo. Data for final overall survival (OS), the other co-primary endpoint, are expected in 2013. 
GlaxoSmithKline plc announced that the European Commission has granted pazopanib marketing authorisation for the treatment of patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (aSTS) who have received prior chemotherapy or have progressed within 12 months after (neo) adjuvant therapy. Efficacy and safety has only been established in certain STS histological tumour subtypes. 
The European Commission has approved Afinitor® (everolimus) tablets* for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2/neu-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer (HR+ advanced breast cancer), in combination with exemestane, in postmenopausal women without symptomatic visceral disease after recurrence or progression following a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor[1]. 
H. Lundbeck A/S (Lundbeck) announces that the European Commission has issued a Statement of Objections to Lundbeck. The Statement of Objections is regarding agreements concluded with four generic competitors concerning citalopram. A Statement of Objections does not represent the European Commission's final decision. Any final decision by the Commission is appealable to the European Courts (General Court and then the European Court of Justice). The whole process could take several years to reach a conclusion. 
Bayer HealthCare's oral anticoagulant Xarelto® (rivaroxaban) has today been recommended for National Health Service (NHS) use in Final Guidance by the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as a single-drug therapy for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and the prevention of recurrent DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE) following an acute DVT in adults. In May this year NICE already recommended Xarelto for NHS use for the prevention of stroke and non-CNS systemic embolism in eligible adult patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). GlaxoSmithKline issued the following statement in anticipation of the BBC Panorama programme "The truth about sports products".