Novartis Pharmaceuticals holds down the fort on this side of the big pond. As the US pharmaceuticals marketing affiliate of Swiss drug giant Novartis AG, the company helps with the development and sales of its parent company's products in the US. Its product line addresses a range of ailments including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal complaints, central nervous system disorders, cancer and blood disorders, bone and joint conditions, and organ transplants. Key products include tumor growth inhibitor Gleevec, high blood pressure drug Diovan, and attention deficit disorder therapies Focalin and Ritalin.

ImaRx Therapeutics, Inc. company was founded in 1999. ImaRx Therapeutics, Inc., a development-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of therapies for stroke and other vascular disorders, using its microbubble technology. Its lead program, SonoLysis, involves the administration of its MRX-801 microspheres and ultrasound to break up blood clots and restore blood flow to oxygen deprived tissues. The MRX-801 microspheres are a proprietary formulation of a lipid shell encapsulating an inert biocompatible gas. Discontinued operations In September 2008, the company divested its urokinase business to Microbix.

Sandoz International GmbH engages in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of generic medicines, pharmaceutical and biotechnological active substances, and anti-infectives in Germany and internationally. It offers products for various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular system, central nervous system, gastrointestinal system, muscle and skeletal system, hormone therapy, and respiratory system. The company’s product portfolio ranges from various application forms, such as oral solids through technologies, including inhalers or injectables to transdermal patches, implants, and biopharmaceutical follow-ons. It sells its products to wholesalers, pharmacies, hospitals, and other healthcare outlets. Sandoz International GmbH was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Holzkirchen, Germany. The company has research and development, and production sites in Boucherville, Canada; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cambe and Taboao da Serra, Brazil; Holzkirchen/Rudolstadt and Barleben, Germany; Kolshet, Kalwe, and Mahad, India; Kundl and Schaftenau, Austria; Menges and Ljubljana, Slovenia; Wilson, North Carolina; Broomfield, Colorado; Gebze and Syntex, Turkey; and Strykow, Poland. Sandoz International GmbH operates as a subsidiary of Novartis AG.

SCOLR Pharma, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company, which through its Controlled Delivery Technology (CDT) platforms, develops prescription, over-the-counter (OTC) and nutritional products. The Company has developed multiple private-label controlled release nutritional products incorporating its CDT platforms that are sold by national retailers. The Company’s lead product candidate is a CDT-based controlled release formulation of ibuprofen, an analgesic used for the treatment of pain, fever and inflammation. It completed the pivotal phase III trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its 12 hour CDT 600 milligram controlled release ibuprofen for the OTC market. In addition, the Company submitted its first abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for its 12-hour pseudoephedrine product on August 5, 2008.

Locus Pharmaceuticals' mission is discovering and developing drug treatments using a technology platform that integrates virtual drug design, medicinal chemistry, and biology. Through its Ansaris division the company researches small molecule treatments for a number of illnesses including HIV, cancer, and inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. The company aims to develop drug candidates in-house and partner with other drugmakers to co-develop drugs. Locus counts Novartis Institute of Biomedical Research and Ono Pharmaceuticals among its partners. The privately-held company is led by president Joan Lau. Investors include Norvartis Bioventures and founding investor, Prism Venture Partners.

Thallion Pharmaceuticals develops products for the treatment of cancer and infections. Thallion has three leading products in various developmental stages. The Shigamabs drug candidate is targeted to treat Shigatoxin producing E. coli infections. The company's TLN-232 is being evaluated as a treatment of a number of cancer conditions. Its TLN-4601 is another oncology focused treatment. Thallion was considering the possible sale of the company until it received a nearly $9 million capital infusion through an arrangement with Premium Brands. Though Thallion's operations didn't change, and it's still owned by the same shareholders, the move did take the company public.

Forbes Medi-Tech has an answer for folks wanting to lower their cholesterol by changing their diet. The firm makes Reducol, a dietary supplement ingredient that reduces LDL, the "bad" cholesterol associated with increased risk of heart disease. It sells the ingredient to food and nutritionals companies that incorporate it into their products. Pharmavite uses Reducol in its Cholest-Off supplement, and foodmakers in Europe use it in items such as yogurt, milk, and bread. Until 2008 Forbes Medi-Tech also had a drug development operation, which was testing pharmaceutical candidates to treat high cholesterol and metabolic conditions; however, it has divested those operations to focus on its Reducol business.

Heska Corporation develops, manufactures, markets, sells, and supports veterinary products for the canine and feline companion animal health markets. It operates in two segments, Core Companion Animal Health; and Other Vaccines, Pharmaceuticals, and Products. The Core Companion Animal Health segment offers veterinary diagnostic and other instruments, including handheld blood analyzers, veterinary chemistry analyzers, veterinary hematology analyzers, IV pumps, and consumable supplies; point-of-care diagnostic and other tests, such as heartworm diagnostic tests for dogs and cats, and early renal damage detection products; and veterinary diagnostic laboratory products and services, which comprise allergy diagnostic products and services, as well as ERD Reagent Packs used to detect microalbuminuria. It provides pharmaceuticals and supplements, such as heartworm prevention products, nutritional supplements, and hypothyroid treatment products; and vaccines and other biologicals for the treatment of allergies and feline respiratory diseases.This segment sells its products to veterinarians directly, as well as through telephone sales force, independent third party distributors, and other distribution relationships. The Other Vaccines, Pharmaceuticals, and Products segment provides private label vaccines and pharmaceuticals primarily for cattle, as well as for other animals, including small mammals and fish. It offers bovine vaccines, and biological and pharmaceutical products for other animal health companies, as well as provides turnkey services, which consist of research, licensing, production, labeling, and packaging of products, as well as validation support and distribution services. This segment sells its products through third parties under third party labels. The company was formerly known as Paravax, Inc. and changed its name to Heska Corporation in 1995. Heska Corporation was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Loveland, Colorado.

Astex Therapeutics (formerly Astex Technology) is working on Pyramids, but on a much, much smaller scale than the Egyptians did. Astex Therapeutics Limited company's Pyramid is a fragment-based drug discovery platform that utilizes X-ray crystallography to develop small molecule drugs. Astex is using the Pyramid platform to develop new therapies for Alzheimer's disease, numerous types of cancers, and chronic inflammation. The company relies in part on a large group of investors for funding. Some of its main investors include Oxford Biosciences, Advent International, Apax, Bayer Schering, and Johnson & Johnson. Astex is collaborating with Novartis andJanssen Pharmaceutica on drugs for the treatment of cancer.

The Italian subsidiary of Swiss drug maker Roche manufactures all of the company's most successful medications -- hepatitis B and C drug Pegasys, cancer drugs Herceptin and Avastin, and MabThera, for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Roche S.p.A.'s business is roughly 40% oncology and hematology, 30% specialty care (Pegasys, Neorecormon, Copegus), and 30% primary care (analgesics, antibiotics). Its 700,000-square-foot production facility in Segrate, a town near Milan in northern Italy, produces almost 1,400 tons of medication every year, about 60% of which is exported across Europe.

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