Many of the 30 drug product firms that received FDA warning letters in 2016 were foreign cosmetics and hygiene manufacturers that appeared to need education on US GMP requirements. Another major focus in letters to drug product firms last year was sterility assurance in the US and abroad.

Biopharma financing decreased by 16% in Q2 to $4.8 billion, while the total value of acquisitions nearly doubled to $22 billion, including AbbVie's $9.8 billion takeover of Stemcentrx. Alliances garnered an aggregate potential deal value of $23.1 billion, led by Allergan's CNS agreement with Heptares.