(Reuters) - Several multi-billion dollar deals and offers announced over the past few weeks have made 2014 the busiest year for healthcare acquisitions, according to Thomson Reuters data.
Bayer's $14.2 billion acquisition of Merck's consumer care business on Tuesday pushed the value of pharmaceutical M&As to $239.1 billion so far this year.
Healthcare companies, under pressure from tougher reimbursement regulations in developed countries, are adding scale, picking up specialised expertise and shedding non-core businesses.
Here's a list of some of the major deals and offers this year:
MAY
May 6 - Merck & Co Inc (N:MRK) agrees to sell its consumer care business to Germany's Bayer AG (DE:BAYGN) for $14.2 billion.
May 2 - Pfizer Inc (N:PFE) raises its offer for AstraZeneca Plc (L:AZN) to 63 billion pounds ($106 billion), but the British company promptly rejects the proposal, which would create the world's biggest pharmaceuticals company.
APRIL
April 30 - Sanofi SA (PA:SASY) is looking to sell a portfolio of older drugs that could fetch $7 billion to $8 billion, Reuters reports, citing people familiar with the matter.
April 28 - Allergan is preparing to approach Shire Plc (L:SHP) about a potential takeover, even though the Irish drugmaker rebuffed a previous overture, Reuters reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Forest Laboratories Inc says it will buy Furiex Pharmaceuticals Inc (O:FURX) for up to $1.46 billion, including milestone payments.
April 25 - U.S. generic drugmaker Mylan (O:MYL) makes new and improved bid for Meda (ST:MEDAa), valuing its Swedish rival at around $9 billion including debt, Reuters reports, citing a source familiar with the matter.
April 24 - Zimmer Holdings Inc (N:ZMH) says it would buy rival orthopaedic products maker Biomet Inc
April 22 - Canada's Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc (TO:VRX) and activist investor Bill Ackman makes an unsolicited $47 billion bid to buy Botox maker Allergan Inc
Novartis (VX:NOVN) and Britain's GlaxoSmithKline (L:GSK) agree to trade more than $20 billion worth of assets to bolster their best businesses and exit weaker ones. Novartis also says it would sell its animal health arm to Eli Lilly (N:LLY) for about $5.4 billion in cash.
April 7 - Specialty pharmaceuticals company Mallinckrodt Plc (N:MNK) says it will buy drugmaker Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc (O:QCOR) for about $5.6 billion to gain access to its multiple sclerosis drug, Acthar Gel.
FEBRUARY
Feb. 24 - German drug firm Bayer clinches a $2.9 billion deal to take over Norwegian cancer drugmaker Algeta (OL:ALGETA) after being tendered 92.17 percent of the shares in a cash offer.
Feb. 18 - Generic drugmaker Actavis Plc (N:ACT) says it will buy Forest Laboratories Inc (N:FRX) for about $25 billion in cash and stock, giving it a major focus on higher-margin, branded treatments for Alzheimer's, hypertension and other disorders.
Feb. 11 - Mallinckrodt says it will buy pain drug maker Cadence Pharmaceuticals Inc (O:CADX) for about $1.3 billion to expand in the hospital market.
Feb. 3 - Britain's Smith & Nephew Plc (L:SN) says it will buy ArthroCare Corp (O:ARTC) for an agreed $1.7 billion in cash to strengthen its treatments for sporting injuries, an area growing faster than its main replacement hips and knees business.
JANUARY
Jan. 16 - Johnson & Johnson says it will sell its ortho clinical diagnostics unit to buyout firm Carlyle Group LP (O:CG) for $4.15 billion, shedding a slow-growing business to focus on more lucrative products.
Jan. 8 - Forest Laboratories Inc says it will buy specialty pharmaceutical maker Aptalis from private equity firm TPG Capital for $2.9 billion.
(Compiled by Esha Dey and Sriraj Kalluvila in Bangalore)