Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany has announced that an independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) has completed an interim analysis of a phase II trial (the LIPLONG study) of the company's long-acting recombinant factor VIII, BAY79-4980. The DSMB concluded that the study will not be able to achieve the predetermined efficacy endpoint (non-inferiority). No safety concerns were raised.

Novo Nordisk announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has approved Victoza® for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Victoza® is the brand name for liraglutide, the first Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue approved in Japan, developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

In the face of the unprecedented earthquake that hit the island of Haiti, sanofi-aventis has committed 1 million Euros in financial aid to long-term reconstruction initiatives and the rehabilitation of the population of Haiti.

Patients in Japan will benefit from the approval of three new Novartis medicines - Equa® (vildagliptin), marketed as Galvus® in the European Union, for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, Exforge® (valsartan/amlodipine) for high blood pressure, and Afinitor® (everolimus) for advanced kidney cancer. These approvals reinforce the strong commitment of Novartis to helping patients in Japan, the company's second-largest pharmaceutical market.

Bristol-Myers Squibb is joining the world community in providing immediate help for survivors of the massive earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12. The company has already shipped a large donation of antibiotics through Project Hope, an organization providing direct relief to disaster victims.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) will provide donations of medicines and money for victims of the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti on January 12. Lilly has initially pledged $250,000 in direct cash contributions.

Working directly with humanitarian partners to help address the growing health care crisis, Abbott (NYSE: ABT) is expanding its support for relief efforts in Haiti. The company will provide $2.5 million in grant funding and donations of critical pharmaceutical and nutritional products to humanitarian aid organizations.