London — Gilead Sciences’s $5.1bn  investment in Galapagos  propelled the Belgian biotechnology company’s stock to a record  on Monday while sending a positive signal to the rest of the sector in Europe, where the industry has lagged behind the US.

The amount Gilead is investing tops the $4.7bn that has flowed to European pharma and biotech companies in 2019 in mergers, acquisitions and share investments. It compares with a whopping $240bn in the US, a number that was boosted by a handful of mega deals, Bloomberg data show...

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