The Dealmaking column is a survey of recent transactions, including strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions, and financings, in the life sciences industries. Deals are listed by the following industry sectors: in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and research/analytical instrumentation and reagents. All transactions are excerpted from Elsevier's Strategic Transactions database, providing comprehensive transaction coverage from 1991 to the present.

The dealmaking column is a survey of recent transactions, including strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions, and financings, in the life sciences industries. Deals are listed by the following industry sectors: in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and research/analytical instrumentation and reagents. All transactions are excerpted from Elsevier's Strategic Transactions database, providing comprehensive transaction coverage from 1991 to the present.

The European Commission has granted marketing authorisation to Swedish drug maker DuoCort Pharma for its dual-release hydrocortisone replacement therapy Plenadren (hydrocortisone, modified-release) as a once-daily oral treatment for adults with adrenal insufficiency – the first new therapy for the condition in 50 years.

ViroPharma, an Exton, Pennsylvania-based firm whose products include treatments for the rare genetic disorder hereditary angioedema (HAE) and for GI infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile, has agreed to pay up to around $165 million to acquire DuoCort Pharma, the Swedish firm awaiting European approval for a drug to treat the rare condition Addison's disease and other conditions causing adrenal insufficiency in adults.