Canadian regulators have approved Novartis' Diovan (valsartan) to treat chronic heart failure in patients who cannot tolerate angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, a common type of heart failure therapy.

Sudler & Hennessey (S&H) has been selected by AstraZeneca as the global agency partner of record for the developmental arthritis treatment PN400.

Cephalon announced that the FDA has approved Treanda (bendamustine hydrochloride) for injection for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a slowly progressing blood and bone marrow disease.

Hawthorn Pharmaceuticals announced the FDA approval of the company's Granisol (granisetron HCl) oral solution. Granisol is an oral solution for the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer therapy.

Endo Pharmaceuticals has entered into a licensing agreement with Novartis to obtain the exclusive US marketing rights for the prescription medicine Voltaren Gel (diclofenac sodium topical gel) 1%.

The FDA approved Wyeth's Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) to treat adult patients with major depressive disorder. Wyeth expects to begin shipping Pristiq to wholesalers beginning in the second quarter of 2008.

The FDA approved AstraZeneca's Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) for short-term use in children ages one -11 years for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Sciele Pharma expaned its alliance with Sanofi-Aventis with a new exclusive, three-year agreement to market Allegra orally disintegrating tablets (ODT) and Allegra oral suspension in the pediatric market in the US.

Eli Lilly announced the launch of KwikPen, a new insulin pen prefilled with Humalog (insulin lispro injection).

The FDA has approved UCB and Sanofi-Aventis' NDA for Xyzal (levocetirizine dihydrochloride) 0.5 mg/ml oral solution, a prescription antihistamine indicated for the relief of symptoms associated with indoor and outdoor allergies, as well as the treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria.