This week, a court ordered a Medtronic whistleblower to hand over records of his media contacts; Cue Health was awarded $28m to develop a multi-disease respiratory panel; and the FDA granted a zero fluoroscopy Indication to some Biosense Webster cardiac ablation devices.

Nothing's even in Phase II yet, but sponsors and US government researchers remain optimistic.

Neglected diseases are gaining a higher profile in Big Pharma drug development programs. Research on a vaccine for dengue fever has been ongoing for decades, and a few candidates could finally be nearing late-stage trials.

Sanofi already generates a substantial share of its revenue from emerging markets, but developing the first dengue vaccine would have significant impact on emerging market revenue, perhaps as early as 2015.