UCB has chosen Daiichi Sankyo as its new commercial partner in Japan for an epilepsy drug, building on an existing relationship in the allergy area.

The United Arab Emirates ordered a recall of Germany-based Schwarz Pharma's Nitrocine (glyceryl trinitrate) for treating heart and blood-pressure problems on grounds it may contain impurities.

The required divestitures are quite significant relative to the size of the transaction: this is the second-largest divesture, but only the fifth-largest merger of generic firms.

David Brennan has sharpened AstraZeneca's therapeutic area focus and embraced external R&D. The next two years will determine whether the productivity drive is working--or if more radical change is needed.