The rate of growth of the pharma pipeline slowed last year as oncology and rare diseases tightened their grip on R&D. There are also further signs of China’s rise in importance in the industry.

The Irish firm revealed it was in early conversations with Amgen, J&J and Sanofi regarding a possible takeover, with some experts touting the potential for a deal far surpassing the $20bn mark.

Private Company Edition: As venture capital funding continues at a robust pace relative to public company financings, Knopp Biosciences and Population Health Partners launched Areteia with enough cash to fund Phase III asthma trials and Qiming revealed new VC funds totaling $2.5bn and $700m.

Sanofi's Nestle talked to Scrip about the company's early pipeline, the emerging technologies he thinks are most promising and tapping external innovation.