Business news in brief

Morphotek Inc. formally opened an $80 million pilot plant in Uwchlan Township that will produce biologics for use in its early-stage clinical trials. Funded by its parent company, Tokyo-based Eisai Co. Ltd., the highly automated plant currently employs 23 people while it continues to undergo testing and validation. Production of monoclonal antibodies is expected to begin in the 60,000-square-foot building in late 2012. - Mike Armstrong

Medical device provider Teleflex Inc., of Limerick, agreed to acquire substantially all of the assets of LMA International N.V. for $276 million. LMA is an international maker of laryngeal masks used in anesthesia and emergency care. Separately, Teleflex said it agreed to acquire LMA business from U.K.-based Intavent Direct Ltd. The transactions, expected to close in the fourth quarter, build onto Teleflex's anesthesia and respiratory business segment, which will have an estimated $530 million in annual sales, the company said. - Inquirer staff

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation awarded $335,000 to 15 Philadelphia-area nonprofits to support charitable and arts programs. The grant is part of $22 million the foundation is awarding to nonprofits nationwide that build and rehab affordable housing, offer foreclosure prevention and homeowner counseling, and related services. Among the nonprofits receiving the regional grant are the Urban Affairs Coalition, Asociacion Puertorriquenos En Marcha, Clarifi, Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corps., Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp., and the Community Design Collaborative. - Alan J. Heavens

Crown Holdings Inc., of Philadelphia, which makes cans and other packaging, said it agreed to buy back company shares from Merrill Lynch. Crown said it already repurchased 5.1 million shares for $200 million. The full amount of shares Crown is buying will be based on the closing prices of Crown stock from August until November, when the transaction is expected to be complete. - AP

Vodka producer Central European Distribution Corp. of Mount Laurel, said it received notice from Nasdaq that its shares face delisting because the company announced Friday that it would delay filing results for its latest quarter with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Nasdaq, where CEDC shares trade on the Global Select Market, said the company has until Oct. 9 to submit a plan for regaining compliance. CEDC said last week that it was delaying the quarterly filing as part of an agreement with bondholders to avoid a default. - Inquirer staff

Fisker Automotive, which has a stalled plan to build hybrid cars in Wilmington, named Tony Posawatz, former head of electric vehicles at General Motors, as its new chief executive. He replaces Tom LaSorda, a former Chrysler CEO, who joined Fisker in February. Posawatz, 52, led the team that brought the Chevrolet Volt to market. Fisker is changing leadership as it works to improve its sales and finances and after losing access last year to a portion of a $529 million low-interest loan awarded by the U.S. Energy Department. The company said it is also reviewing a fire involving a $103,000 Karma that occurred Aug. 10 in Woodside, Calif., the second such incident this year. Fisker said it had no new developments to report related to the Wilmington project. - AP and Bloomberg News

New York's financial regulator said his agency has reached a $340 million settlement with Standard Chartered Bank to resolve an investigation into whether the British bank schemed with the Iranian government to launder $250 billion from 2001 to 2007. The bank will pay the civil penalty to the state and will strengthen oversight of overseas transactions, New York Superintendent of Financial Services Benjamin Lawsky said. Standard Chartered spokeswoman Julie Gibson noted that the New York announcement set out the terms of an agreement, including payment of $340 million, and a formal agreement is expected shortly. - AP

Share of NCR Corp., the ATM maker, fell 9.8 percent after the company said it received allegations from a "purported whistleblower" about business practices that might violate U.S. laws. Some of the allegations relate to NCR's business in Syria, where it has ceased to operate, according to the disclosure filing. "NCR has certain concerns about the motivation of the purported whistleblower and the accuracy of the allegations it received, some of which appear to be untrue," the company said. An NCR spokesman did not return requests for comment. - Bloomberg News

Wells Fargo & Co.'s brokerage firm agreed to pay $6.58 million to settle federal civil charges that it failed to adequately inform investors about the risks tied to mortgage securities it sold. The Securities and Exchange Commission said Wells Fargo Brokerage Services improperly sold the high-risk investments to cities and towns, nonprofit institutions and other investors in 2007, when the housing bust was under way. The firm is paying a $6.5 million civil fine and $81,571 in restitution plus interest. A former firm vice president, Shawn McMurtry, also agreed to settle the charges and pay a $25,000 civil fine. Wells Fargo and McMurtry neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing. - AP

General Motors is recalling more than 10,000 full-size vans in the United States and Canada because the fuel filler pipes can rust, leak and cause fires. The recall affects Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans from the 2003 and 2004 model years with left-side cargo doors. It covers vans sold in 20 states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where salt and chemicals are used to clear snow from roads. GM said salt and chemicals can get trapped in a conduit that covers the fuel filler pipe and cause corrosion. Gasoline may leak and cause a fire. The company said it doesn't know of any fires or injuries from the problem. Owners with questions can call Chevrolet at 866-694-6546 and GMC at 866-996-9463. - AP

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, received conditional approval from regulators in China to buy a majority stake in a Chinese e-commerce company. Wal-Mart will increase its stake in Yihaodian's holding company to about 51 percent from around 17 percent. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Yihaodian sells more than 180,000 products, ranging from groceries to electronics to clothing. The deal improves Wal-Mart's access to Chinese consumers who increasingly use smartphones and social media to shop. - AP