Mass. home prices, sales slide again in November

The Massachusetts housing market continued to decline in November, with sales of single-family homes and condominiums dropping by double-digit percentages, according to a housing report by Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. The single-family home median sales price fell 6.5 percent to $315,000 in November, from $337,000 a year earlier, and has now dropped in eight of the last nine months. Statewide, the median condo sale price was $269,900, a decline of 1.8 percent. (Sacha Pfeiffer)

Biotechnology company ImmunoGen Inc., of Cambridge, said it agreed to give French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis SA expanded access to its tumor-activated drug technology for $500,000. Sanofi already had the right to use the technology, which is used to produce antibody-based cancer cell killers, for targets included in an existing research collaboration between the companies. Financial details were not disclosed. (AP)

A New Hampshire woman and four California men have been charged with operating a scheme in which large quantities of Serostim, an injectable HIV drug manufactured by Serono SA, with US headquarters in Rockland, Mass., were illegally purchased from unauthorized sources and then illegally distributed to wholesale distributors. The indictment, disclosed by the US attorney's office in New Hampshire, which is prosecuting the case, alleges Beth Handy of Milford, N.H., and the four men engaged in wire fraud and money laundering in a conspiracy that generated nearly $963,000 in illegal proceeds. (Sacha Pfeiffer)

The chief executive of iRobot Corp., a Burlington maker of vacuum, toy, and military-use robots, sold 8,002 shares of common stock under a prearranged trading plan, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. In a Form 4 filed with the SEC, Colin M. Angle reported he sold the shares last week for $18.02 to $18.55 apiece. (AP)

Essex River Ventures LLC, a Boston real estate investment and asset-management firm, has bought two connected Boston office buildings for $8 million. The 63,154-square-foot, six-story property at 201-207 South St. was sold by Zoom Technologies Inc., which has leased back 25,200 square feet of space in the Leather District building. Essex River's partner in the deal was Cronus Capital LP, a New York private equity firm. (Sacha Pfeiffer)

THE NATION

Ford Motor Co. chief executive Alan Mulally met in Japan last week with top Toyota Motor Corp. executives, including chairman Fujio Cho, a person familiar with the situation told the Detroit Free Press. The companies would not publicly acknowledge the meeting, but Ford showed interest in Toyota's hybrid and fuel-cell technology as well as its manufacturing methods, according to a report by a Japanese newspaper, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Auto industry analysts said it is much more likely that Ford and Toyota would work together on a specific issue, such as a powertrain technology, rather than explore a broad-ranging alliance or outright merger. Ford would not confirm or deny the meeting. (McClatchy Tribune)

Bank of America Corp., Bear Stearns Cos., and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are among 48 private firms interested in leasing the 537-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike, according to a list released by that state. Governor Ed Rendell (left) is considering the move to plug a $1.7 billion shortfall in transportation funding. Converting the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which stretches from the Ohio border to the Delaware River, to a for-profit venture is one of several options under consideration by Rendell to raise money to fix highways and bridges and fund mass-transit agencies. Similar transactions in Indiana and Illinois brought in more than $5 billion combined. (Bloomberg)