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Orexigen has said that it has sold the North American marketing rights for its experimental weight-loss drug, Contrave, to Takeda in a deal that could be worth more than $1 billion, Reuters reports. [FULL STORY]
Santhera and Ipsen have signed an agreement for fipamezole, which is being studied to treat levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease, fiecebiotech.com reports. [FULL STORY]
Researchers have said that an experimental Novartis medicine that killed drug-resistant malaria in lab studies may become the first new class of treatment against the disease in 30 years, Bloomberg reports. [FULL STORY]
Merck and Cardiome have said that they have been granted marketing approval for the intravenous formulation of their heart drug Brinavess in the EU, Iceland and Norway, Reuters reports. [FULL STORY]
Pfizer is returning the rights to rindopepimut (CDX-110), a therapeutic cancer vaccine, to Celldex Therapeutics, fiercebiotech.com reports. [FULL STORY]
Genzyme has rejected an $18.5 billion takeover offer from Sanofi-Aventis, saying that it dramatically undervalues the company, Reuters reports. [FULL STORY]
Allergan, the maker of Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a years-long federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug, AP reports. [FULL STORY]
US health officials have issued a warning to Baxter for misleading patients and doctors about the benefits of its Aralast lung drug, Reuters reports. [FULL STORY]
Pfizer has agreed to buy closely held FoldRx as it looks to expand into medicines for rare disorders, Bloomberg reports. [FULL STORY]
AstraZeneca said on Thursday that the EC has approved Seroquel XR as an add-on treatment for major depressive disorder for patients that had not responded well to an existing antidepressant, Reuters reports. [FULL STORY]