Shares of Vectura Group plc rose 8.5 percent on the London stock exchange Monday after the Chippenham, UK-based firm and its partner, Sosei Group Corp., of Tokyo, said Novartis AG had initiated a Phase III study of NVA237, a dry powder formulation of the muscarinic antagonist glycopyrronium bromide, as an inhalational treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (BioWorld Today)