I think it's highly possible that the CEO of a large biotech company may not know every company his mergers and acquisitions team is evaluating, but maybe I wrong.
I would agree that "daily inquiries" was probably not entirely accurate.
I don't think this conversation is going to give anyone clarity on the true inquiry. We'll probably never know until we all do.
"Fielding inquiries daily" could simply mean those they are already in contact with. Pfizer (an implied research partner), Cubist (at least according to Dr. J.) and Eli Lilly (Menon's old employer) immediately come to mind.