Barclays analyst Balaji Prasad says the appeals court ruling yesterday that Linde's (LIN) Praxair did not infringe INOmax patents is "clearly a setback" for Mallinckrodt (MNK). The analyst, who points out that he had already factored in declining INOmax growth on a risk adjusted basis, says Praxair's launch strategy will now influence the pace of deceleration in INOmax revenues. Offsetting factors for Mallinckrodt will likely be the value in label expansions and its next generation INOmax EVOLVE system "that could be a growth driver," with potential approval and launch in the second half of 2020, Prasad tells investors in a research note. The analyst keeps an Equal Weight rating on Mallinckrodt shares with a $5 price target.

Linde announced it has signed two agreements with China South Steel, a member of the China Baowu Steel Group Corporation, one of the world's largest steel enterprises. Linde has signed an agreement to de-captivate an air separation unit, or ASU, at China South Steel's plant in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province. Linde already owns and operates five on-site ASUs to supply industrial gases to China South Steel in Shaoguan and will now de-captivate and upgrade a sixth. The agreement brings Linde's total on-site production capacity in Shaoguan to approximately 130,000 cubic meters per hour. In addition to the de-captivation, Linde has extended its long-term agreement with China South Steel for the supply of industrial gases at Shaoguan. Linde's industrial gases complex also meets demand from Linde's local merchant customers.