Pharmaceutical corporation Novartis joins founder Apple Tree Partners in funding Tokai, developer of an anti-prostate cancer drug.

The Russian government, through its Skolkovo initiative, has given $5m in grant money to the firm to carry on its oncological research.

The Bayer-partnered biopharmaceutical company has closed a further round of funding, taking its overall equity to almost $100m.

The biopharmaceutical company has extended its series C round with funds from investors including Roche.

Peter Van Vlasselaer, will become executive chairman of iPierian after he replaced former CEO Michael Venuti, after the latter's brief tenure, in May.

Celladon has previously raised $61m in its first three rounds of funding, Xconomy said.

The company floated in Australia rather than the US as its EndoBarrier product for type II diabetes has regulatory approval in the country but has yet to be passed by America's.

In February last year, NABsys raised $7m in its B round, following $4m at launch in 2009, and Stata said: "NABsys represents the merger of two industries which, until now, have been quite disparate: semiconductors and genomics.

Merck reportedly plans to commit $250m as a limited partner in third-party venture capital funds in pharmaceuticals, although part of the money could also be invested directly, through its Merck Research Venture Fund, according to news provider In Vivo, which said the existing $125m Global Health Innovation Group had been doubled.