LONDON - ImmuPharma plc took $15 million up front as the first payment in a potential $500 million deal, as it signed an agreement giving Cephalon Inc. the option on an exclusive, worldwide license to Lupuzor in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. (BioWorld International)

DUBLIN, Ireland – Shares in Merrion Pharmaceuticals plc (DUBLIN:MERR) surged 42 percent Monday on news that the company had secured a licensing deal with Novo Nordisk for the oral delivery of the latter company's proprietary insulin analogues. (BioWorld International)