Novo's head of rare disease Ludovic Helfgott talked to Scrip about the $1.1bn acquisition and expansion into sickle cell disease.

Denmark's diabetes specialty company has linked up with a US biotech to evaluate a lysophosphatidic acid receptor antagonist in diabetic and chronic kidney disease.

But elephant in the room –  the coming stream of readouts from Phase III PIONEER trials on oral semaglutide  in Type 2 diabetes – gets little mention at first-quarter update.

The dealmaking column is a survey of recent transactions, including strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions, and financings, in the life sciences industries. Deals are listed by the following industry sectors: in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and research/analytical instrumentation and reagents. All transactions are excerpted from Elsevier's Strategic Transactions database, providing comprehensive transaction coverage from 1991 to the present.