Big Medtech Acquisitions You Need to Know

The past week saw so many large medtech acquisitions, it was hard to keep track. Here are the highlights.

Chris Newmarker

The medical device industry's mergers and acquisitions spree is not showing any sign of abating. Here are four top deals from the past week:

1. Creating One of the Largest Medtech OEM Suppliers

Greatbatch (Frisco, TX) announced Thursday that it will pay $1.73 billion to acquire Lake Region Medical (Wilmington, MA). Officials at the two companies described their respective offerings as complementary. Greatbatch develops and makes medical device technologies for the cardiac, neuromodulation, vascular, and orthopedic markets--as well as batteries for high-end niche applications. Lake Region Medical brings products from concept to point-of-care in the cardio and vascular and advanced surgical markets.

The deal, expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2015, will create one of the world's largest OEM suppliers, according to the companies.

2. Investing in Post-acute Care Management

Cardinal Health (Dublin, OH) meanwhile announced on Tuesday that it will spend $290 million to acquire a 71% share in post-acute care management company NaviHealth (Brentwood, TN), according to media reports. Cardinal Health's plan is to fully own the business within the next four years, with the deal valued at $410 million total.

"Discharge and post-acute care coordination is critical for both hospital CEOs and their patients, as care is increasingly delivered in alternative sites and payment models shift the focus to patient outcomes rather than activity," Michael Petras, president of Cardinal Health at Home, said in a news release.

3. Pfizer's Hospira Buy Nears Finish Line

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced on August 23 that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has cleared its upcoming acquisition of Lake Forest, IL-based Hospira, which is now valued at $15 billion. FTC's clearance is contingent upon Pfizer divesting four U.S. sterile injectable assets, including Acetylcysteine, Clindamycin, Voriconazole and Melphalan. The merger, first announced in February, is expected to close in early September.

4. Medtronic's $458 Million Spend on Mitral Valve Tech

Medtronic announced in the past week that it plans to spend $458 million to snap up Twelve Inc. (Redwood, CA), which is developing transcatheter mitral valve replacement devices. Twelve "has the most novel technology along with a strong, proven team," Medtronic said in a statement. The deal comes on the heels of other large medical device companies buying transcatheter mitral valve replacement device technology.

Chris Newmarker is senior editor of Qmed and MPMN. Follow him on Twitter at @newmarker.

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