Pharmaceutical revenues were down slightly; so was R&D spending, thanks to a strengthening dollar. Scrip analyzes 620 companies and uses numbers, clocks and tiers to paint some data pictures of the pharmaceutical industry in 2015.

Six pharma deals announced thus far in 2016 carried up-front values of $1 billion or more, down considerably from the high-volume, high-value M&A industry experienced the prior two years. Pharma manufacturers appear to be recalibrating – digesting previous acquisitions, adjusting to new biotech valuations and taking stock of the political and macro-economic climate – but fundamentals suggest pharma dealmaking will pick up. Pfizer’s $14 billion offer for Medivation might represent a turning point.

Execs faced questions about commercial preparations and potential label for Amgen’s PCSK9 inhibitor, we well as speculation about what the appointment of former Schering CEO Fred Hassan to the board means for Amgen’s M&A strategy.

With the field going generic and a new brand competitor with additional advantages on the way, Vifor Pharma is counting on lower pill burden to propel hyperphosphatemia drug Velphoro.