Roche has announced a new donation to the World Health Organization (WHO) of 5.65 million courses of treatment of the antiviral drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir). This donation includes:

• Replenishment of the Regional Stockpile of 2 million treatment courses of Tamiflu to be held by the WHO and used to address regional outbreaks,

Sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), the world's leading vaccine manufacturer, officially launched the construction of a new Sanofi Pasteur vaccine manufacturing center in Neuville-sur-Saône, France, in a ceremony attended by Gérard Collomb, Senator and Mayor of Lyon, Christopher A. Viehbacher, Chief Executive Officer of sanofi-aventis, Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, Science and Technology Adviser for sanofi-aventis.

AstraZeneca has announced top line results from the phase III trial, PLATO (A Study of Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes), which demonstrate that BRILINTA (ticagrelor), the investigational oral antiplatelet treatment for acute coronary syndromes (ACS), has achieved a statistically significant primary efficacy endpoint versus clopidogrel, in the prevention of cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with ACS.

Novo Nordisk announced today that it has entered into a consent agreement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a deferred prosecution agreement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) resolving their investigations of the company's sales to Iraq during 2000 to 2003 under the UN's Oil-for-Food programme.

Nycomed has announced the submission of a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for Daxas® as a once-daily oral treatment for patients with COPD associated with chronic bronchitis. The MAA submission is based on encouraging results from four Phase III trials of Daxas (roflumilast) in the treatment of symptomatic COPD.

GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) has entered into an agreement to divest full commercial rights to Wellbutrin XL® in the United States to Biovail International Laboratories SRL, a subsidiary of Biovail Corporation (NYSE, TSX: BVF), for $510 million (£340 million). The agreement is subject to Hart-Scott-Rodino regulatory clearance in the United States.

Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany is starting Phase III with an innovative patch for female contraception that combines low dosed ethinylestradiol and gestodene. Approximately 3300 women will be enrolled into two global studies to evaluate the contraceptive reliability of the patch starting in May 2009.