Merck, a leading science and technology company, has started this week the application period for the next round of its Accelerator programs in Darmstadt, Germany, and Nairobi, Kenya. Globally, Merck is seeking young start-ups in the fields of healthcare, life science and performance materials with a focus on digital solutions.

AstraZeneca today announced it has entered into a commercialisation agreement with Aspen Global Incorporated (AGI), part of the Aspen Group, for rights to its global anaesthetics portfolio outside the US. The agreement covers seven established medicines - Diprivan (general anaesthesia), EMLA (topical anaesthetic) and five local anaesthetics (Xylocaine/Xylocard/Xyloproct, Marcaine, Naropin, Carbocaine and Citanest).

Applications for the Bayer Science & Education Foundation's international scholarship programs are now being accepted for this year's round. In the academic sector, ambitious students can apply for an Otto Bayer, Carl Duisberg, Jeff Schell, or Kurt Hansen scholarship if they are aiming to undertake a study project abroad or from foreign countries planning a project in Germany.

Boehringer Ingelheim today announced it has established a research collaboration with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute's - Harvard Fibrosis Network to discover new ways of treating fibrotic diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), chronic kidney disease (CKD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced survey results of 250 global biopharmaceutical executives on how their companies will manage new risks associated with the changing biopharma landscape. The survey, sponsored by Merck, was conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a leading resource for economic and business research, forecasting and analysis.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) today announced encouraging new data from a Phase 1/2 study of lorlatinib, the proposed generic name for PF-06463922, Pfizer's investigational, next-generation ALK/ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor. The study showed clinical response in patients with ALK-positive or ROS1-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including patients with brain metastases.

AstraZeneca today announced that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Grünenthal GmbH for the exclusive rights to Zurampic (lesinurad) in Europe and Latin America. Zurampic was approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in February 2016, in combination with a xanthine oxidase inhibitor (XOI), for the adjunctive treatment of hyperuricemia (excess of uric acid in the blood) in adult patients with uncontrolled gout.