science wire

Shareholders approve 14 th consecutive dividend increase to CHF 2.20 (+5%) per share for 2010, representing a payout of approximately 55% of net income from continuing operations, marking cont

Basel, February 22, 2010 - Novartis announced that Menveo® (Meningococcal (Groups A, C, Y and W-135) Oligosaccharide Diphtheria CRM197 Conjugate Vaccine), a quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for active immunization to prevent invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y and W-135 in people 11 to 55 years of age .

Basel, February 22, 2010 - Gilenia®* (FTY720, fingolimod) has been granted priority review status by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which accepted the regulatory submission made in December 2009 for this medicine. Once-daily Gilenia  (0.5 mg) has the potential to become the first approved oral therapy for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Basel, February 19, 2010 - Novartis announced today that Tasigna® (nilotinib) has been granted priority review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase. FDA priority review status is granted to therapies that offer major advances in treatment or provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists.

Phase II results demonstrate efficacy of Debio 025, a cyclophilin inhibitor, against hepatitis C virus when used alone or in combination with current standard therapy 1 Basel, February 9, 2010 - Novartis has gained exclusive rights to develop and market Debio 025 (alisporivir), a potential first-in-class antiviral agent currently in Phase IIb development for the treatment of hepatitis C. Debio 025 is the first in a new class of drugs called cyclophilin inhibitors which could become part of the future standard of care for the disease.

Zurich - University of Zurich Eine Studie der Psychiatrischen Universitätsklinik Zürich hat erstmals die Schweizer Drogenpolitik von 1975 bis 2007 untersucht.

Zurich - University of Zurich Die polizeiliche Repression gegen Heroinkonsumenten war in den neunziger Jahren besonders hoch.

o     Net sales rise 11% in local currencies (lc) to USD 44.3 billion (+7% in USD), as innovative   products drive Pharmaceuticals to industry-leading growth and Vaccines and Diagnostics sells

Zurich - University of Zurich Nach Hirnverletzungen müssen Patienten Bewegungen neu einüben. Neuerdings helfen ihnen dabei Computergames.

Results of the TRANSFORMS and FREEDOMS studies, the two pivotal Phase III clinical trials with oral FTY720 (fingolimod), have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine , providing compreh

Basel - Novartis Basel, January 20, 2010 - Patients in Japan will benefit from the approval of three new Novartis medicines - Equa® (vildagliptin), marketed as Galvus® in the European Union , for t

Basel - Novartis Through its local organizations in countries throughout the region, Novartis is providing the equivalent of over USD 2.5 million in immediate emergency aid for victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti.

A Finnish-Swiss team cracks the atomic structure of a major cancer drug target Researchers at Biomedicum Helsinki, Finland, and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, Switzerland, have determined the crystal structure of the ligand-binding domain of a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor in complex with one of its ligands (VEGF-C).

Zurich - University of Zurich Für Hämoglobin-Erbkrankheiten gibt es gute Therapien. Weiterhin ist aber ein Teil der Patienten auf regelmässige Transfusionen angewiesen.

"Schizophrenia remains one of the most debilitating and difficult to treat mental illnesses.

Basel - Novartis - Novartis will gain exclusive worldwide rights to relaxin, a recombinant version of a naturally occurring human peptide, through the acquisition of the privately held US biopharmaceutical company Corthera Inc.

Basel - Novartis WHO prequalification facilitates purchasing through UN agencies and thus enhances access for developing world countries to Novartis A(H1N1) 2009 vaccines that meet unified standards of quality and safety.

Basel - Novartis (Meningococcal Group A, C, W-135 and Y-CRM Conjugate Vaccine) has received a Positive Opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA).

09.

08.

03.

02. Basel - Novartis Basel, December 2, 2009 - Novartis announced today that new data, including a late-breaking presentation on Tasigna"(nilotinib) in a form of chronic myeloid leukemia, demonstrate the strength of the company's hematology portfolio in advancing the care of patients.

25.

24.

17.

13.

12.

05.

04. Basel - Novartis Basel, November 4, 2009 - Novartis has reached an agreement to acquire an 85% stake in the Chinese vaccines company Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceutical Co.

03.

29.

28.

23. Basel - Novartis Basel , October 23, 2009 - The European Commission has granted Novartis marketing authorization for Exforge HCT" a new 3-in-1 treatment for people with high blood pressure.

22.

20.

20. Basel - Novartis Basel, October 20, 2009 - Novartis announced today that Tasigna® (nilotinib) met its primary endpoint in the first head-to-head comparison with the company's groundbreaking drug Glivec® (imatinib).

19.

19.

12. Basel - Novartis Basel, October 12, 2009 - Novartis Pharma AG has entered into an agreement for exclusive US and Canadian rights to Fanapt(TM) (iloperidone), a new oral medication that is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the acute treatment of adults with schizophrenia.