The Week in Review: Major Investments

Novartis made a five-year, $1 billion China commitment, building up its Shanghai R&D center and marketing efforts; Novartis will also spend $250 million to expand its global technical center in Changshu, and pay $125 million to buy a 85% stake in vaccine maker Zhejiang Tianyuan; Roche opened a new $500 million biologics manufacturing facility in Singapore; Microbix and Hunan Biopharmaceutical Co. will construct a $200 million flu vaccine facility; Biostar Pharma completed a $3.6 million private placement; Beike Biotech will invest in a Japanese stem cell company, Biomaster; NeoStem closed its acquisition of China Biopharma Holdings; ScinoPharm of Taiwan began construction of a new manufacturing facility in Changshu; Hutchison MediPharma said HMPL-004 met all endpoints in a Phase IIb Ulcerative Colitis clinical trial and HMPL-001 began its Phase I clinical trial; and Sinovac Biotech will move to the NASDAQ Global Market. More details... Stock Symbols: (NYSE: NVS) (SW: RO) (TSX: MBX) (OTCBB: BSPM) (NYSE Amex: NBS) (OTCBB: CHBP) (AIM: CHM) (NYSE Amex: SVA)