No new brain infections linked to use of Tysabri

Biogen Idec Inc., the world's largest maker of multiple sclerosis drugs, said its fastest- growing product, Tysabri, was linked to no new cases of the deadly brain infection tied to the drug three years ago. The drug was being taken by 26,000 patients worldwide as of March 31, the Cambridge company said. Biogen and its partner, Irish drug maker Elan Corp., pulled Tysabri off the market in February 2005 because two patients developed fatal brain infections. Another case was diagnosed the following month, with none identified since then. The drug was reintroduced in July 2006 when US regulators said the benefits of slowing MS flare-ups outweighed the risks. (Bloomberg)

Cambridge biopharmaceutical company Aileron Therapeutics said it has raised $10 million through a private placement of preferred stock. Aileron said the round was co-led by venture capital firm Apple Tree Partners and Novartis Venture Funds, both with offices in Cambridge. Aileron said it is focused on developing biologics - drugs made from living organisms - for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. The company plans to use the proceeds from the financing to expand its drug-discovery team and open a 10,000-square-foot plus research facility at 840 Memorial Drive in Cambridge, the company said. (Chris Reidy)

Ford Motor Co., the world's third-largest automaker, said it is boosting annual production of the Focus small car 28 percent after a first-quarter sales increase. Output this year will climb to 245,000 Focuses from 191,000 last year. US sales of the Focus, built in Wayne, Mich., rose 23 percent in the quarter to 49,070. The increase is unusual for Ford, which during the past two years has cut output and closed factories in North America to regain profitability in 2009. (Bloomberg)

Xerox Corp., the world's largest maker of high-speed color printers, said it won a five-year agreement valued at as much as $400 million to provide printers, copiers, and supplies to the US Air Force. Xerox will supply hardware and services to help the Air Force cut costs and consolidate devices in its document-management operations, the Norwalk, Conn.-based company said. (Bloomberg)

The hard feelings between Facebook Inc. founder Mark Zuckerberg and a former college classmate have boiled over into another legal dispute, this time over the popular online hangout's trademark. In a petition filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, Aaron Greenspan is seeking to cancel Facebook's legal claim to its name. Greenspan, 25, argues Zuckerberg, 23, had no right to trademark the Facebook name in 2005 because the term had been used generically for decades at Harvard University, where they first met. What's more, Greenspan maintains he used the term "Face Book" as part of an online service called houseSYSTEM a few months before Zuckerberg unveiled his website in 2004. (AP)

British Airways PLC, Europe's third-biggest carrier, ousted two senior managers after the chaotic opening of London Heathrow airport's Terminal 5. Gareth Kirkwood, director of operations, and David Noyes, director of customer services, have already left, British Airways said. "The departures follow the airline's move to Terminal 5. The airline is looking to appoint a chief operations officer to combine both roles," the company said. Over 12 days, 600 flights were canceled and thousands of bags were mishandled, costing the airline at least $31 million. (Bloomberg)

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest automaker, is recalling 393,714 Sonata sedans in the United States because the front passenger air bag may not deploy when the seat is occupied by a small adult. Some 2006 to 2008 models are affected, Hyundai said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posted on the agency's website. Hyundai expects only about 1 percent of those vehicles will need to have the seat sensor reprogrammed, a company spokesman said. The sensor may mistake a small adult for a child and cause the air bag not to inflate in an accident, the agency said. (Bloomberg)