Business & Industry News Channel
Merck KGaA announced that Group total revenues rose 2.1% in 2009 - meeting the guidance given earlier in the year. Total revenues for the Group reached € 7,747 million as the 6.5% increase in revenues from the Pharmaceuticals business sector more than offset the 9.0% decline in revenues from the Chemicals business sector. During the fourth quarter, Merck recorded a 5.9% increase in total revenues to € 2,029 million. 
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued two positive opinions in the European Union for two of its cancer medicines. The CHMP has issued a positive opinion for the authorisation of a new therapeutic indication for Tyverb® (lapatinib) in the European Union. 
On the International Childhood Cancer Day, the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) and sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced that seven new projects for improving cancer care for children in low- and midincome countries have been selected in Cameroon, Ecuador, Mozambique, Panama and Thailand. These five countries join the 21 countries that are already partners in the international My child matters program, launched jointly by UICC and sanofi-aventis in 2005. 
Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced that it has completed its EUR 4.5 billion ($6.2 billion) acquisition of Belgium-based Solvay Pharmaceuticals, providing Abbott with a large and complementary portfolio of pharmaceutical products and expanding Abbott's presence in key global emerging markets. Based on the timing of the close, Abbott expects the acquisition to add approximately $2.9 billion to Abbott's 2010 total reported sales, the majority outside the U.S., and add approximately $500 million to Abbott's annual pharmaceutical R&D investment. 
Merck & Co., Inc., which operates outside the U.S. and Canada as MSD, today announced the European Commission (EC) approval of ELONVA® (corifollitropin alfa injection). ELONVA is indicated for controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) in combination with a GnRH antagonist for the development of multiple follicles in women participating in an assisted reproductive technology (ART) program. With the EC approval, Merck receives marketing authorization for ELONVA with unified labeling valid in all European Union Member States. 
Novo Nordisk is one of 15 large enterprises joining forces in a new initiative - Consortium for Global Talent - to improve employment terms to attract and not least retain highly skilled foreigners. The initiative has been set up to help highlight some of the practical and financial obstacles that may deter global talent from choosing Denmark as their next workplace. 
Revenue in the fourth quarter increased by 4 percent at constant exchange rates (CER), but was up 9 percent on an actual basis as a result of the positive impact of exchange rate movements. Revenue benefited from strong growth of the Toprol-XL franchise in the US as a result of the market withdrawal by two generic competitors and from revenues from US government orders for vaccine for Novel Influenza A (H1N1); adjusting for these factors, global revenue was unchanged.