Novo Nordisk A/S and Innate Pharma have reached an agreement by which Innate Pharma is granted development and commercialisation rights to NN1975/IPH 2101 in exchange for EUR 2.5 million upfront payment, milestone payments and royalties on future sales of IPH 2101.

Based on positive Phase II trial findings, Bayer Schering Pharma will move into Phase III trials with its oral agent riociguat (BAY 63-2521). Riociguat is the first member of a new class of vasodilating agents called soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulators.

Boehringer Ingelheim has signed a licence agreement with Evec, Inc., Japan, for one of its fully-human therapeutic antibody programmes. Based on the agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim will obtain worldwide exclusive development and commercialisation rights for the complete programme.

Roche is investing 215 million Swiss francs (136 million euros) in research, development and production at its site in Penzberg, near Munich. The money will be used to construct a multi-purpose building for Roche Diagnostics.

Shire Limited (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces that following the approval by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting on September 24, 2008, the Company has changed its name to Shire plc with effect from today.

Bayer Schering Pharma and the National University of Singapore (NUS) have agreed to cooperate in the field of pre-clinical cancer research. The initial collaboration with the NUS will focus on three joint projects in the field of oncology.

Data from a 52-week phase 3 study (LEAD™ 3) of liraglutide, a once-daily human GLP-1 analogue, were published by The Lancet. The study showed that liraglutide, when taken alone, produces statistically significant and sustained improvements in blood sugar control in patients with early type 2 diabetes, as compared with glimepiride, a widely used oral antidiabetic drug.