Royalty tells Elan never mind; court invalidates Novo Prandin patent; AMA take on obesity good for Qsymia, Belviq;

@FiercePharma: More Novo Nordisk bad news: Loses Prandin patent fight in U.S. Circuit Court, $200m sales at risk. Report | Follow @FiercePharma

@EricPFierce: U.K. gets nervous on looming deadline for API certifications, outlines contingency plan. Yesterday's report | Follow @EricPFierce

> Royalty Pharma threw in the towel Tuesday, dropping its four-month, $6.7 billion takeover run for Irish drug company Elan ($ELN). Story

> Actavis ($ACT) and Kissei Pharmaceutical are suing Sandoz and Hetero for infringing the patent on Rapaflo, a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Release

> The two thrombosis drug brands, Arixtra and Fraxiparine, that GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) is talking about selling to South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare could be worth $1 billion. Story

> A U.S. court has slapped down a patent for Novo Nordisk's ($NVO) Prandin, a move that paves the way for generics of the combo with metformin for treating diabetes. Story

> Protalix BioTherapeutics said Wednesday that it has a 7-year deal with Brazil to sell the country $280 million worth of its Gaucher disease drug, Uplyso, known as Elelyso in the U.S. Story

> Bristol-Myers Squibb ($BMY) and AstraZeneca ($AZN) reported today that results of a study looking for additional benefits for their Type 2 diabetes drug Onglyza found that it was no better than a placebo at reducing heart attacks, strokes, or death from cardiovascular causes. Story

Medical Device News

@FierceMedDev: Editor's Corner: Germany's Epigenomics is betting its future on an early-detection colon cancer Dx. Feature | Follow @FierceMedDev

@DamianFierce: Medtronic's Infuse no better than graft procedure but more dangerous, according to independent reviews. Yesterday's story | Follow @DamianFierce

> Techne grabs Bionostics for $104M. Item

> Terumo adding 400+ jobs in R&D expansion. Report

> CryoLife eyes FDA approval for dissolving hemostat. Item

> Mirabilis nabs up to $13M for uterine fibroid device. Report

> OrthoSensor wins FDA nod for knee tech. Article

Biotech News

@FierceBiotech: Join what is probably one of the fastest-growing LinkedIn groups in biotech, & learn the meaning of life... sciences. Join now | Follow @FierceBiotech

 @JohnCFierce: Man, oh man. Bluebird IPO busts out, raises $101M as biotech offerings turn red hot - $BLUE up 50%. News | Follow @JohnCFierce

@RyanMFierce: W/ $BLUE out, DMD drug developer Prosensa moves up in the biotech IPO queue, sets terms for $60M deal: More | Follow @RyanMFierce

 @EmilyMFierce: This week's issue of FierceBiotechResearch is out: Alzheimer's drug restores links in brain and more: This week's news | Follow @EmilyMFierce

> Sarepta shares spike on upbeat results from DMD extension study. News

> NIH backs pharma giants and academics' projects to revive R&D castoffs. Article

> Analysis: AMA decision on obesity will boost drug R&D in a troubled field. Editor's corner

> Another drug study flops at AstraZeneca as CEO braces for bumpy turnaround. Story

Drug Delivery News

@MichaelGFierce: Self-propelled, spinning 'nano-necklaces' could pinpoint drug delivery. More | Follow @MichaelGFierce

> BD, JDRF partner to join artificial pancreas race. More

> Capsugel launches Lipidex platform for greater oral stability, potency. Item

> Teva grabs MicroDose respiratory biz with inhaled delivery platform. Article

> Drug-carrying "nanovolcanoes" make precise delivery structures. Story

And Finally... The American Medical Association (AMA) kicked aside a committee recommendation and voted to designate obesity a disease, a move that may boost the fortunes of the new obesity drugs, Qysmia from Vivus ($VVUS) and Belviq from Arena ($ARNA). Story