The spate of deals, real and reported, in the pharmaceutical sector has spilled over into another part of the healthcare world.
Medical device maker Zimmer has announced a $13.35bn deal to buy US orthopaedic products group Biomet.
The news has put the spotlight on Smith and Nephew, which specialises in hip and knee implants and wound management and rejected a £15bn merger with Biomet in 2011. S&N has often been tipped as a takeover target, with another US group Johnson & Johnson offering £7bn for the business just before the Biomet proposal.
S&N's shares have jumped 30p to 909.5p as news of the Zimmer deal prompted renewed speculation of consolidation in the sector.
The week has already seen a major deal between GlaxoSmithkline, 1.5p higher at £16.44, and Novartis, as well as bid talk around AstraZeneca, 107.5p better at £41.50, and Shire, up 60p to £32.49.
