The drive to find a vaccine to combat the coronavirus is well underway. Several large pharmaceutical and smaller biotech companies are working on making new antibodies, drugs and vaccines to combat the coronavirus disease but lack of funds may yet get in the way, writes John Whelan.

It is too early to gauge the full economic and trade effects of the coronavirus outbreak, however, a number of global agencies have come out with their estimates of the likely damage to international trade and various economies across the globe.

As the World Health Organisation scrambles for a cure to the Coronavirus, a further crisis is simmering: The global dependence on China for the production of key ingredients in the global supply chain for antibiotics, diabetes drugs, painkillers and also many electronic components for medical devices.

The week ahead may be pivotal for investors and businesses monitoring the deadly coronavirus outbreak — including Irish companies whose supply chains stretch into China — as they scramble to understand whether the economic fallout will be long-lasting.

The outbreak of the coronavirus has come at a difficult and sensitive time for China’s economy.

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.

A mother, whose 11-year old son died in violent circumstances after they had just emerged from a period of homelessness, has dedicated herself to helping others who are struggling with the loss of a child or living without a home of their own.