Direct purchasers of drugs from a trio of generics manufacturers in the US say they will receive payments that are fair and reasonable, under settled agreements that have been put before a judge in Pennsylvania.

Quality and the measure of a firm: Toyobo’s particulates and resins, Galenicko’s sanitation, Breckenridge’s product chemistry and Fujifilm’s cross-contamination risk.

Towa’s US-based Breckenridge is aiming for exclusivity with its generic version of Amgen’s Kyprolis – developed with partner Natco Pharma – after obtaining one of the first approvals for several strengths of the treatment for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Device financing rose slightly to $934 million in Q1, while acquisition value was down to just over $4 billion. Diagnostics fundraising dropped significantly to $597 million; M&A activity was dominated by NGS and Roche's transaction with Foundation Medicine.