Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P) Pandora Internet Radio has announced a partnership with Ford Australia. The launch is effective today across a range of nameplates including Fiesta ST and Focus ST and Ford Kuga. The roll out will continue for other Ford nameplates including the Fiesta, Focus, Ranger and Transit range by early 2015. "This landmark partnership grows our footprint in the automotive market locally, cementing our leadership as the most enabled streaming service now available in Australian vehicles," said Rick Gleave, director of business development, Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P) ANZ.ISIS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISIS) said it has earned a $18 million milestone payment from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for advancement of its ISIS-TTRrx drug in patients with transthyretin amyloidosis, a severe and rare genetic disease characterized by progressive dysfunction of peripheral nerve and/or heart tissues. "We have patients who have completed fifteen months of therapy and are now receiving ISIS-TTRRx in our open-label extension study," ISIS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISIS) chief operating officer Lynne Parshall said in a statement. "As this program advances, we will continue to benefit from GSK's resources and expertise as well as earn additional milestone payments." The company has so far earned a total $45 million of the $70 million in upfront and milestone payments that it is eligible for, for advancing ISIS-TTRrx in development. In addition, if GSK elects to exercise its option to exclusively license the drug program, Isis is eligible to receive a license fee, regulatory and sales milestone payments and double-digit royalties on sales.Gentiva Health Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:GTIV) the provider of home-health, hospice and community-care services said it agreed to be acquired by health-care services provider Kindred Healthcare (KND) for $1.8 billion including debt. The per-share price amounts to $19.50, representing a 17% premium to GTIV's Wednesday closing price of $16.71. Gentiva Health Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:GTIV) was up 15% at $19.15 in recent pre-market trading, set to surpass the stock's 52-week high of $18.93 if the gain is sustained in the regular session. It has a 52-week range of $13.13 to $26.81. Under the terms of the agreement, Gentiva shareholders will receive $14.50 per share in cash and $5.00 of Kindred common stock. The $1.8 billion value includes the assumption of net debt. The companies expect the closing of the transaction to occur in Q1 2015.The combined company will have pro forma annual revenue of about $7.1 billion and operating income of $1.0 billion. It also will be the largest operator of long-term acute care hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation facilities in the U.S., Kindred said. Kindred expects the acquisition to be "immediately and significantly accretive to earnings and operating cash flows, exclusive of transaction and integration costs." It expects the acquisition to be approximately $0.40 to $0.60 accretive to pro forma earnings, once Gentiva is fully integrated and expected synergies are fully realized in the second full year following the closing.
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