Spotlight On... Novartis nabs two key approvals for Cosentyx to widen its lead on psoriasis rivals; China's diabetes scourge could mean $23B to drugmakers; Biden urges faster approval for cancer combos; and more...

Novartis ($NVS) has been working hard to snap up additional approvals for Cosentyx before its Big Pharma rivals get their next-gen psoriasis contenders to market. And as of Friday, it's done just that in the U.S., where the FDA approved the med as a treatment for psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. With three approvals under its belt, the med could reach peak sales of between $4 billion and $5 billion, Novartis Pharma's global head of development, Vas Narasimhan, said over the summer. More from FiercePharma

> The diabetes boom in China represents a $23 billion opportunity for drugmakers such as Novo Nordisk ($NVO), Sanofi ($SNY) and Eli Lilly ($LLY). Report

> Vice President Joe Biden pledged to speed up approval of combination cancer therapies, partly by encouraging different drugmakers to test their pipeline products together. Report

> The Gavi global alliance for vaccines signed a $5 million commitment to buy a Merck-developed vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus; the deal will help take the U.S.-based drugmaker through late-stage trials and regulatory approval, the organization said. Report

> The Indian Patent Office rejected a compulsory license on AstraZeneca's ($AZN) diabetes drug Onglyza (saxagliptin), filed by Hyderabad-based drugmaker Lee Pharma. Report

And Finally... Drugmakers are increasingly turning to LinkedIn to engage with the public. Report