The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for Priority Review the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Dupixent® (dupilumab) in adolescent patients 12 to 17 years of age with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, whose disease was inadequately controlled with topical therapies or for whom topical treatment was medically inadvisable.

AstraZeneca has entered into an agreement with Covis Pharma B.V. (Covis Pharma) to sell its rights to the medicines Alvesco (ciclesonide), used for the treatment of persistent asthma, and Omnaris and Zetonna (ciclesonide), used for the treatment of nasal symptoms associated with rhinitis.

Throughout 2018, Novartis took strong action to focus the company and its capital towards the Innovative Medicines Division, resulting in an industry leading pipeline. Today Novartis holds an R&D and investor update in London which will provide deeper insights into the pipeline including the below.

The Amgen Foundation today announced the expansion of the Amgen Scholars Program, a hands-on research program that allows undergraduates to spend a summer at one of many of the world's premier research institutions. The new four-year, $21 million commitment brings the program to a total of 24 elite institutions across the U.S., Europe, Asia and, for the first time, Australia and Canada.

Boehringer Ingelheim has taken an important step towards greater agility in the company with inauguration of the new building, called "BI CUBE", at the Ingelheim site. The sustainably built and innovative building was handed over to its future users at an internal ceremony.

AstraZeneca has agreed to divest the prescription medicine rights to Nexium (esomeprazole) in Europe, as well as the global rights (excluding the US and Japan) to Vimovo (naproxen/esomeprazole) to Grünenthal. The medicines are outside AstraZeneca's three main therapy areas of Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism and Respiratory.

Novartis announced today that it has entered into a clinical development agreement with Pfizer which will include a study combining tropifexor and one or more Pfizer compounds for the treatment of NASH, including an Acetyl CoA-Carboxylase (ACC) Inhibitor (PF-05221304, a Diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) Inhibitor (PF-06865571, and a Ketohexokinase (KHK) Inhibitor (PF-06835919).