• AstraZeneca plc, of London, said the District Court for the District of Columbia issued an opinion and order in the company's lawsuit against the FDA regarding final marketing approval of generic quetiapine, denying the company's request for a preliminary injunction and dismissing the lawsuit without prejudice. AstraZeneca, which filed the lawsuit earlier this month seeking an injunction barring the FDA from granting approval of generic formulations of Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) tablets and Seroquel XR extended-release tablets, said it is evaluating its options.

• Merck & Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., disclosed a $35 million investment in the newly launched Merck Lumira Biosciences Fund, established through a subsidiary in collaboration with Lumira Capital, Teralys Capital and other partners, to provide investment capital to support early stage life sciences innovation in Quebec. The fund, designed to provide capital to fuel innovation while attracting life science entrepreneurs to the province, will invest primarily in early stage biotechs with local operations. The fund is targeting $50 million upon final closing. Lumira will serve as the fund manager, and Merck will not have any rights to the fund's portfolio companies or to their products simply by virtue of its role as a limited partner.

• Roche AG, of Basel, Switzerland, said it will extend its $5.7 billion offer to acquire tools firm Illumina Inc., of San Diego, to April 20. Illumina said its board sent a second letter to shareholders urging them to reject the offer, calling it a "grossly inadequate price." (See BioWorld Today, Jan. 26, 2012.)

• Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, said the FDA approved Qnasl, a dry nasal aerosol corticosteroid, for treating seasonal nasal and year-round nasal allergy symptoms in adults and adolescents 12 years and older. The product is expected to be available next month.

• Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., of Mississauga, Ontario, said it agreed to acquire Natur Produkt International JSC, a Russian specialty pharma firm that has a significant presence in over-the-counter brands. Terms call for Valeant to pay about $180 million, with an additional $5 million in potential future milestones. The deal is expected to close by midyear.