FDA has selected CFS/ME as the first topic for the PDUFA V patient-centered drug development initiative. The lessons learned from this session will inform future work on patient engagement in drug development both for FDA—and for patient advocates.

Of the $6.3 billion total raised, 32% was from China distributor Shanghai Pharmaceuticals' $1.99 billion IPO - not only Q2's biggest financing, but also the second-largest pharma IPO of all time. Six of the 26 completed mergers were done to gain access to emerging markets, most notably, Takeda's $13.7 billion buy of Nycomed, almost half of the total $27.9 billion spent on pharma acquisitions this quarter. Q2's largest alliance was Vertex's in-licensing of Alios BioPharma's preclinical HCV nucleotide analogues, a deal that could be worth up to $775 million in up fronts and development milestones.

The dealmaking column is a survey of recent transactions, including strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions, and financings, in the life sciences industries. Deals are listed by the following industry sectors: in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and research/analytical instrumentation and reagents. All transactions are excerpted from Elsevier's Strategic Transactions.