With EU regulatory approval in the bag and US regulatory scrutiny expected to clear in the coming weeks, the €55bn AbbVie and Allergan merger should start in earnest in February or March.

Firms should prosper from the EU-Japan trade deal Japan

Vodafone is nearing a transformational deal to buy continental European assets from cable giant John Malone’s Liberty Global and could announce an agreement next week, according to sources.

SOME €19 billion of Irish pharmaceutical exports may be impacted by the expiration of patents on a number of blockbuster medicines produced here.