>>If they were immediately expensed and not even booked, why would I read about them being written off in ensuing quarterly reports?<<

how can something be "immediately expensed" without being "booked"?

you can't even keep the terminology straight.

what you've been doing is switching back & forth between the R&D & the INTANGIBLES as it fits your needs.

the R&D expenses were being booked as expenses. the only thing being CAPITALIZED as "intangible assets" were the patents being acquired by acquisition. those patents had no or little value on the books of the acquired company because the costs had already been written off as R&D.

it was those patents & licenses (& other intangibles) that needed to be valued at acquisition and THAT'S what was showing up as write-offs (amortization)in those ensuing quarterlies, NOT the acquired company's prior R&D expenses.

>> I'm not a CPA <<

you've been making it perfectly obvious for years, that's why you should simply

S-T-F-U!!!!

or better yet, ask respectful questions and forget your ASSHOLE know-it-all attitude!!!!!!

p.s. here try it again:
http://media.pfizer.com/files/annualrepo...

by this time, perhaps your eyesight has cleared up enough so that you can see the little % box at the top and you won't be able to pull your BULL@#$% DODGE about not being able to read such small print.

how's THAT for a rant?