Ronan’s €300m refinancing, Covid vaccines and IP, and a rise in bank loans

Developer Johnny Ronan's Ronan Group Real Estate is understood to have secured backing to refinance a prime property portfolio valued at €300 million. Ronald Quinlan has the details.

Covid vaccines are being produced faster than they can be administered, according to the industry, which argues that waiving intellectual property rights will not accelerate global Covid-19 vaccine access, an Oireachtas committee will be told today. Dominic Coyle reports.

MAdme Technologies founder Triona Mullanesays the Denis O'Brien-backed company may look to raise fresh capital towards the end of the year, as it strives to recover from a "horrendous" experience during the pandemic. Mark Paul has the details.

The number of consumers that drew down personal loans during the first quarter of this year, as well as the value of those loans, rose by about a third compared with the same period last year as people's lives began to return to normal following the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, new figures from the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland show. Colin Gleeson reports.

Johnny Ronan strikes deal to refinance €300m portfolio

---

Irish screen industry calls for content levy on streaming and pay TV

---

WRC makes record €329,000 award for unfair dismissal

---

Teva and Allergan willing to pay $5bn combined to resolve opioid lawsuits

---

Nutrition group Abbott is flying supplies of infant milk formula from Cootehill in Cavan to the United States daily to help mitigate a supply crunch that has seen stores rationing purchases for parents. Dominic Coyle and Martin Wall have the details.

Elon Musk has said he would reverse Twitter's decision to ban former US president Donald Trump from the platform, describing the decision as "morally wrong and outright stupid", according to an interview with the Financial Times.

In other commercial property news, developer David Daly's OctoberInvestments is bringing 16 Stephen's Green to market in what will be a key office letting this year. Ronald Quinlan has the details.

A new law in New Zealand is designed to make bad jobs better. FT columnist Sarah O'Connor says that if it works the ripples from this legislation could be felt around the world.