VENTURE CAPITAL POST

A division of French ad firm Publicis Groupe SA and drugmaker Hikma Pharmaceuticals have reached separate settlements totaling $500 million to resolve allegations that they helped fuel the deadly opioid epidemic in the US.

Publicis (PUBP.PA), the world's third-largest advertising holding company, has agreed to buy digital ad specialist Sapient for $3.7 billion in cash as it seeks to accelerate growth after a botched merger earlier this year.

Advertising spending in the UK for the third quarter of 2013 has hit the fastest pace recorded according to a survey from IPA Bellwether, the Financial Times reported.

UK-based advertising firm M&C Saatchi divested a controlling stake of 75.1% in Walker Media for GBP36 million. M&C Saatchi sold its holding to French multinational advertising and public relations company Publicis.

The scheduled $35.1 bilion tie-up of both advertising giants Omnicom and Publicis, would be pushed to mid-2014 as the latest date, as announced by both Chief Executives on Thursday.

Britain-based advertising group WPP denied a report from The Daily Mail's that the company is planning a takeover bid for US-based marketing group Interpublic (IPG).

The Publicis-Omnicom merger ensured a win in the ad market as soda rivals Coca-Cola Co and PepsiCo Inc share the same ad company.

A new giant was created through the merger of Publicis and Omnicom which overshadowed WPP's dominance of more than four years in the communications market.

A source revealed that Publicis and Omnicom are in late-stage talks about a merger of equals.