Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced early Thursday that the European Commission has approved SUTENT for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic, well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with disease progression in adults. Experience with SUTENT as initial treatment is limited in this disease. Pancreatic NET is a rare cancer reported in two to four people per million annually worldwide.(1,2) Sutent is the first treatment to be approved for patients with pancreatic NET in twenty-five years.

JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., (NASDAQ: JASO) announced Thursday that it has entered into a long-term supplemental wafer and polysilicon supply agreement with GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries.

Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ: RMBS) announced that it has filed a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) requesting the commencement of an investigation pertaining to products from Broadcom Corporation, Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., LSI Corporation, MediaTek Inc., NVIDIA Corporation and STMicroelectronics N. V.

Merck & Co., Inc., (NYSE: MRK) said Thursday that it has agreed to acquire SmartCells, Inc., a private company developing a glucose responsive insulin formulation for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR) said Thursday that comparable store sales for the third quarter ended November 27, 2010 increased 10.2% compared to last year's comparable store sales increase of 13.7% for the third quarter ended November 28, 2009. Total sales for the quarter improved to $354 million compared to $327 million in the year-ago quarter.

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