The device classification announcements include four class II devices, as well as one that was placed in class I.

Compared with their top 20 European peers and with similarly sized companies in the US, many mid-sized European pharmas are struggling. IMS Health analyzes the predicament these companies find themselves in and outlines what they need to do to avoid being caught in an evolutionary backwater.

We’ve got this year’s winners for the Deals Of The Year, as well as this week’s deal news from Forest/Aptalis, Royalty Pharma, Biogen Idec/Sangamo and a string of early deals from Johnson & Johnson.

Paying cash up front to scientists, hospitals, biotechs and pharmas in exchange for their royalty stakes in successful drugs has proven profitable for Royalty Pharma. The firm has begun applying its long-term strategy to late-stage clinical candidates in addition to marketed products.