• Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, formed Otsuka Europe Development and Commercialisation Ltd. (OEDC), based in Uxbridge, UK. OEDC will serve as Otsuka's European research and development headquarters, working in concert with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd. to develop and commercialize the company's products.

• Pharmamar SA, a Madrid-based subsidiary of Grupo Zeltia, said it was informed by Janssen Products LP, a unit of Johnson & Johnson of New Brunswick, N.J., that regulatory authorities in five countries granted nine additional authorizations to sell Yondelis (trabectidin) in relapsed platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer in combination with Caelyx (pegylated liposomal doxorubicin) and as monotherapy in soft tissue sarcoma. With the addition of the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Guatemala, Croatia and Turkey, Yondelis is now approved in 78 countries.

• UCB SA, of Brussels, said subsidiary Kremers Urban Pharmaceuticals Inc. (KU), of Princeton, N.J., received FDA approval for its 18-mg and 27-mg extended-release methylphenidate hydrochloride product, for which Concerta (methylphenidate HCl, Johnson & Johnson) is the reference drug. KU also received tentative approval for 36-mg and 54-mg versions and will be eligible for final approval after exclusivity expires in September.