VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Drug makers Sanofi and Merck & Co. will part ways by the end of the year sealing their partnership for the European vaccines joint venture. Sales has been declining and both companies agreed it is better if they were better off running their own businesses.

The Justice Department launched an investigation on drug makers Merck & Co, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, and Eli Lilly & Co for alleged over pricing. The Wall Street Journal reported that the US Attorney's office in Eastern District of Pennsylvania, along with the Justice Department's civil division set a probe on Merck, Eli Lilly, and Valeant on how these drug makers calculate and report their product pricing to the government medical rebate program.

Healthcare companies on a seven-year tear have been top performers so far in 2015, helping to push broad stock indexes to record levels, but traders are now looking to protect themselves from a selloff as they await major earnings reports in the sector.

AstraZeneca moved to strengthen its core oncology business on Tuesday with three deals designed to expand the British drugmaker's reach in treating tumors.

U.S. regulators are likely to approve Merck & Co's highly anticipated immuno-oncology drug, pembrolizumab, as a treatment for melanoma well ahead of a late October deadline, according to three sources familiar with the situation.

Sanofi is looking to grasp a good hold in Africa through acquisition of business units, according to the firm's CEO Chris Viehbacher who told Reuters.

Forest Laboratories Inc, which is facing patent expirations on several of its biggest drugs, on Monday said it plans to buy rights to a new schizophrenia treatment from Merck & Co and cut annual operating costs by $500 million in fiscal 2016.

A Reuters report said Merck & Co would be bringing back Zilmax to the US and Canadian markets after completing its audit.

Merck & Co. decided to cut its annual spending by USD2.5 billion and eliminate more than 10% of its global workers.