Purdue licenses oxycodone to Covidien; Judge cuts Boston Sci patent payment;

> Settling a long-running patent dispute, Purdue Pharma has granted Covidien subsidiary Mallinckrodt a license to sell limited quantities of generic oxycodone through 2009. Purdue release

> Boston Scientific said a federal judge found two patents held by rival Medtronic to be unenforceable and slashed the damages Boston Scientific must pay in a patent-infringement case over the company's balloon catheters and stents. Report

> Novacea has inked a deal to merge with Transcept Pharmaceuticals via an all-stock transaction that will leave former Transcept shareholders with 60 percent of the combined company. Novacea release

> Fulcrum Pharma Chairman Sir Charles George will retire at the company's annual meeting in December, and Grahame Cook has joined the board as a non-executive director and chairman designate. Report

> Akorn-Strides got the FDA nod for its dexamethasone sodium phosphate injection, which treats such conditions as endocrine disorders, arthritis, blood disorders and dermatologic diseases, among others. Report

> Sanofi-Aventis has completed the purchase of Symbion Consumer, an Australian company that manufactures, markets and distributes nutraceuticals and OTC brands in Australia and New Zealand. Report

> Economic conditions are catching up with biotech investing. Report

> ThromboGenics' current COO Patrik De Haes has been appointed to succeed Professor Désiré Collen as the company's new CEO. Report

> Affymax and partner Takeda have announced that they will suspend development of the drug Hematide for chemotherapy-induced anemia due to the "uncertain regulatory landscapes for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) in oncology indications." Report

> After a rough year, Pharmos Corporation announced in October of 2007 that it would be laying off half of the staff at its Israeli subsidiary. Report

> Researchers are hailing new work decoding a key enzyme as a breakthrough that could lead to an entirely new class of anti-cancer therapies. Report

And Finally... Researchers at the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Sweden have found a genetic variant that could explain why some men are dysfunctional when it comes to their relationships. Report