New Jersey's Palatin Technologies has initiated a pivotal Phase III trial for its female sexual dysfunction (FSD) drug bremelanotide, ploughing ahead in what appears to be a difficult area. Companies which have attempted to till this field have typically found their crops lacking, and Palatin itself is no stranger to the FSD drought.

Roche's Genentech business has agreed to pay $725m up front and up to $1bn in milestone-related payments to acquire Seragon Pharmaceuticals of San Diego, California. Seragon's most advanced product is in Phase I trials, but Roche believes its technology could herald a breakthrough in cancer treatment.

The highly competitive, extensively generic contraceptive market has long been characterized by incremental changes in hormone dose, delivery and regimen. But Actavis’ emergence over the past year as a new powerhouse in women’s health is setting the stage for the first new estrogen component in years.

A triple-hormone oral contraceptive, "Pill-Plus", that contains an androgen as well as an oestrogen and a progestogen, could be of use in women with reduced sexual function, according to the US firm BioSante Pharmaceuticals.