First results from a small phase 1 trial published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine show that a GSK/NIH Ebola candidate vaccine was well-tolerated and produced an immunological response in each of the 20 healthy adult volunteers in the USA who received it.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) and Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:FPRX) have entered into an exclusive clinical collaboration agreement to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of combining Opdivo (nivolumab), Bristol-Myers Squibb's investigational PD-1 (programmed death-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor, with FPA008, Five Prime's monoclonal antibody that inhibits colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF1R).

Today, the Novartis Foundation, formerly named the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development, convenes its annual symposium. This year's topic - "Sustainable healthcare interventions: from blueprint to lasting impact" - brings together philanthropists, local partners and innovators to explore the journey from idea generation and pilot projects to the realization of scalable and sustainable healthcare systems that improve outcomes for patients in low- and middle-income countries.

Two new real-world data analyses presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014 independently demonstrate that routine treatment with Pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate) was associated with fewer major bleeds and strokes compared to warfarin.(1,2)

Today, it was announced that Novo Nordisk ranks second on the 2014 Access to Medicine Index, climbing four places since the 2012 Index. Novo Nordisk's ranking is a reflection of the company's inclusion of access to medicine within its core business, including equitable pricing strategies, local capability building and integrating philanthropy with business activities.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) today announced plans to construct a new state-of-the-art, large-scale biologics manufacturing facility in Cruiserath, County Dublin, Ireland, that will produce multiple therapies for the company's growing biologics portfolio.

AstraZeneca today announced that it has begun a pre-clinical development programme to evaluate the ability of investigational antibody, MEDI2452, to rapidly and specifically reverse the antiplatelet effects of ticagrelor (BRILINTA®) in rare emergency situations such as urgent surgery, or in the event of major bleeding.