New data show that the addition of Herceptin (trastuzumab) to chemotherapy prior to breast cancer surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) completely eradicates tumours in nearly three times as many women with inflammatory HER2-positive breast cancer compared to chemotherapy alone. Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare, but highly aggressive form of the disease - the tumours spread quickly, often leading to the need for total mastectomies, and it has a worse outlook than other breast cancers.

Bionas GmbH, a specialist for in vitro profiling of cellular metabolic activity, announced that it has signed a service contract with Solvay Pharmaceuticals GmbH (Hannover, Germany). The contract covers the metabolic profiling of several drug candidates identified in the context of Solvay's obesity research program. Financial details were not disclosed.

Bayer HealthCare and development partner Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced positive results from a Phase 2 study evaluating the VEGF Trap-Eye in the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), one of the leading causes of blindness in adults. The VEGF Trap-Eye met both the primary study endpoint of a statistically significant reduction in retinal thickness and the key secondary endpoint of improvement of visual acuity after 12 weeks.

Novartis and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have launched a long-term research collaboration aimed at transforming the way pharmaceuticals are produced. The 10-year partnership, known as the Novartis-MIT Center for Continuous Manufacturing, will work to develop new technologies that could replace the conventional batch-based system in the pharmaceuticals industry - which often includes many interruptions and work at separate sites - with continuous manufacturing processes from start to finish.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) announced that it has finalized a civil settlement agreement with the United States Department of Justice ("DOJ") and the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts resolving the previously disclosed investigations that began several years ago involving the company's drug pricing, and sales and marketing activities.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced its official sponsorship of Berlin Marathon 2007 to be held on Sunday September 30, which will expand Takeda's support for marathon to Europe, as Takeda has been sponsoring Hokkaido Marathon in Japan for 13 years while started its sponsorship for The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon last year.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT), a leader in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, has received the 2007 Galen Prize for Best Biotechnology Product for HUMIRA (R) (adalimumab), the first approved fully human antibody. HUMIRA is approved for use in the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and moderate to severe Crohn's disease.