Mergers and acquisitions activity in the healthcare industry is set to increase this year, but so are the problems encountered along the way, according to a report from Arthur Andersen Corporate Finance.

The report predicts that antitrust regulators will scrutinise the forthcoming deals much more closely than previously. One of the major deals of last year, the merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham, took a long time to complete because regulators were examining the deal.