Botox was a game-changer, which means challengers to Allergan's blockbuster are on the way. Dermal fillers and devices also have an important role, but dermatologists say innovation is needed to fill treatment gaps. Business development is ongoing to expand companies' product portfolios.

The pipeline of acne therapeutics is packed with possibilities, but of four candidates to report data so far this year, only one was successful – Allergan's and Paratek's sarecycline, which may be a better antibiotic option, but doesn't give dermatologists a much-needed new mechanism of action.

Allergan will pay $2.9bn in cash for LifeCell, a division of Acelity, adding its first regenerative medicine portfolio and marking its first commercial-stage deal in more than a year. The company hopes to exploit the surgical products for aesthetic uses beyond breast reconstruction.

Q1 biopharma financing totaled $5.7 billion, a sharp drop from Q4, but this time early-stage venture rounds were the most popular fundraising vehicle;Q1 M&A also declined, totaling $12.3 billion, mostly from Mylan's $9.9 billion buy of Meda. The top alliance was again by Sanofi, in a five-year potential $2.26 billion collaboration with DiCE Molecules to develop oral small-molecule therapies against up to 12 targets.