Roche has confirmed plans to raise its dividend this year against a background of higher sales in the first quarter and regulatory approvals for three new indications for its cancer medicines in the US and drug approvals in cancer and haemophilia in the EU.

The Swiss company declared a dividend of CHF 8.70 per share for 2018.

The Dutch cell therapy company Kiadis Pharma NV has taken steps to strengthen its presence in the haematopoietic stem cell transplant sector with the agreed takeover of CytoSen Therapeutics Inc. The all-share transaction includes an upfront payment in stock as well as milestone payments contingent on the achievement of six clinical development and regulatory goals. CytoSen’s lead asset is a natural killer (NK) cell product designed to enable patients to receive a stem cell transplant from haploidentical donors. It is due to enter clinical development in 2020.