WATERTOWN, Mass., July 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last week, physicians, scientists, patients and members of the biotech industry from around the world gathered for the first major meeting of a unique research center on muscular dystrophy -- the Senator Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center.

WASHINGTON, July 02, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- A new organization, the American Society of Medical Doctors (ASMD), has been created to give physicians a unified voice on issues that affect their relationship with patients. The first issue the ASMD intends to tackle is health care reform; the organization will fight proposals for a government-run health care plan that will directly threaten the doctor-patient relationship.

NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 2, 2009 - IMS Health (NYSE: RX), the world's leading provider of market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, today announced the appointment of Kimberly S. Gray, a recognized leader in corporate privacy, as chief privacy officer, Americas. Gray will direct all privacy-related activities for IMS's operating companies in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, guiding the company's privacy strategy, management and implementation while supporting its leadership efforts in these areas.

INDIANAPOLIS, July 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WellPoint Inc.'s (NYSE: WLP) contribution to creating evidence-based formulary evaluation standards is discussed in the June edition of Value in Health, the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 2, 2009 - HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the United States will provide 420,000 treatment courses of Tamiflu (Oseltamavir) to the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) to fight the novel H1N1 influenza in Latin America and the Caribbean

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 2, 2009 - Genentech, Inc. announced today that the Phase III study BRAVO showed Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) improved vision, as measured by the primary endpoint of mean change from baseline in best-corrected visual acuity at six months, in patients with macular edema due to branch retinal vein occlusion.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 2, 2009 - Cannabis Science Inc. (NASD OTCBB: CBIS), an emerging cannabis pharmaceutical company, is pleased to announce that the company has retained Catalyst Xchange Corp. (CXC), located in London, Ontario, to provide it with investor relations services under an agreement dated June 30, 2009.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - July 2, 2009) - Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (TSX:TKM) announced today that it has initiated a Phase 1 human clinical trial for ApoB SNALP.

SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Chemical Transport, one of the leading environmental companies in California, has announced a multi-year partnership with Gilead Sciences Inc., North America's third largest Bio-Med company.

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 2, 2009 - Prasco Laboratories, a privately held pharmaceutical company located in Cincinnati, Ohio, announced today it has entered into a distribution and supply agreement with Axcan Pharma US, Inc. for Authorized Generic versions of URSO 250 and URSO Forte Scored (ursodiol tablets, USP) family of products. Prasco intends to market, in the U.S., the Authorized Generic version of URSO Forte Scored and URSO 250. Prasco intends to launch immediately.

VANCOUVER, July 2 /CNW/ - iCo Therapeutics Inc. today announced that iCo-007, iCo's lead Diabetes Macular Edema candidate, has been featured in an article in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, a peer-reviewed scientific e-journal.

MUMBAI, India, July 2, 2009: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced receipt of a tentative approval from USFDA for Sun Pharma's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for generic Optivar, azelastine ophthalmic solution, 0.05%.