On May 20, 2013, Actavis, in a move potentially aimed at averting takeover bids by other companies, including Novartis and Valeant, announced its agreement of an $8.5 billion deal (including close to $3.5 billion in debt) to acquire Ireland-based Warner Chilcott in a stock and debt transaction. Paying a 34% premium for Warner Chilcott, whose share price was $15.01 on May 9, 2013 – a day before both companies disclosed ongoing talks – gives Actavis access to a portfolio of 11 women’s healthcare products, including Actonel (risedronate sodium), Loestrin 24 Fe (norethindrone acetate + ethinyl estradiol tablets and ferrous fumarate tablets), and Estrace (estradiol). In 2012, Warner Chilcott generated total sales of over $1.4 billion from its women’s healthcare products alone – about 56% of its total revenues for the period.

Takeda announced positive late-stage results for its new type 2 diabetes drug, fasiglifam (TAK-875), the first GPR40 agonist to reach late-stage development. Fasiglifam has the potential to be a compelling therapeutic option and will likely be investigated for use in combination therapy, given its unique mechanism of action. The Japanese drug maker is in desperate need of reviving its diabetes franchise now that its blockbuster drug, Actos (pioglitazone), fell off the patent cliff in August 2012 and has since been subject to strong generic erosion.

June is Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Awareness Month, a yearly campaign dedicated to promote awareness and research activity of MND. MNDs represent a group of progressive movement-robbing disorders that have an estimated global prevalence of 5–7 per 100,000. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is the most common MND, accounting for approximately 80% of all MND cases.

To help promote dementia awareness this year, the Alzheimer’s Society is endorsing an activity in which we can all participate: talking. The Society is sponsoring Dementia Awareness Week, which takes place from May 19–25, and is urging people to join the conversation about dementia — who it affects, its symptoms, and how it can be prevented. The question is, what do people want to talk about?

On May 7, 2013, the FDA granted its coveted Fast-Track status to Cubist Pharmaceutical’s Phase III antibiotic CXA-201 (ceftolozane/tazobactam) for the treatment of hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP)/ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP) and complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) caused by gram-negative bacteria.

With the FDA approval of their targeted radiopharmaceutical Xofigo (radium-223 dichloride), Bayer and Algeta must prepare to enter the battle for patient share in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Competition in this space has intensified over the last two years, due to the launch of Johnson & Johnson’s Zytiga (abiraterone) and Medivation/Astellas’ Xtandi (enzalutamide).

OraSure Technologies, Walgreens, and the Chronic Liver Disease Foundation have announced an HCV screening initiative in several US cities as part of the upcoming National Hepatitis Testing Day on May 19th. This partnership, an excellent example of public and private entities working together to help increase both awareness of the disease and the HCV diagnosis rate, does little to help address the problem of treatment post-diagnosis.

Embracing social media and capitalizing on the potential to reach a broad spectrum of people, the International Autoimmune Arthritis Movement (IAAM) is hosting its second annual global virtual convention on May 20, 2013, which marks World Autoimmune Arthritis Day (WAAD).

Arena Pharmaceuticals announced last week the final ruling of the DEA, which has placed the company’s anti-obesity drug Belviq (lorcaserin) into Schedule IV of controlled substances. This development comes after months of protracted anticipation from the company and investors alike regarding when this new drug will finally enter the market. Arena, which licensed the drug to Eisai, will receive a $65m milestone payment from the Japanese pharmaceutical company for the launch of Belviq, now set for early next month.

May 18th marks World AIDS Vaccine Day, and is a reminder of the need to take on drastic measures to curb the AIDS epidemic in developed and developing countries, alike. Current antiretroviral therapies (ART) have successfully turned this deadly disease into a chronic and manageable condition.