Medtech’s biggest deals in 2019

The number of MedTech M&A deals and the dollar volume of deals declined in 2019 vs 2018. Below is a list of the top MedTech deals either announced or closed in 2019.

Abbott Laboratories acquired Cephea Valve Technologies. Cephea’s technology is being developed to provide an option for people whose mitral valves need to be replaced. The artificial valve is designed to be delivered through a vein in the leg, forgoing the need for open-heart surgery.

Stryker continued to build on its ear, nose, and throat (ENT) offerings when it announced it would pick up Arrinex to add a treatment for chronic rhinitis. Arrinex has the Clarifix to give patients with chronic rhinitis an alternative to pharmacological interventions and invasive surgery. The deal came about a year after Stryker made a huge move in the space and said it would pick up ENT specialist Entellus for $662 million.

Stryker is acquiring rival Wright Medical in a $4bn deal catapulting the company to a top position in the trauma and extremities market. The agreement, announced on 4 November, is Stryker’s biggest acquisition this year.

Medtronic expanded its cardiac ablation portfolio when it said it would acquire Epix Therapeutics for $316 million. The company designs and manufacturers a catheter-based, temperature-controlled cardiac ablation system for the treatment of patients with cardiac arrhythmias.

Medtronic also acquired Titan Spine which markets a full line of Endoskeleton interbody devices featuring its textured surface in the U.S., Europe, and Australia through its sales force and a network of independent distributors. But what makes this deal so significant is the fact it comes on the heels of Medtronic’s rival Boston Scientific making a high profile acquisition in orthopedics, through the purchase of Vertiflex for $465 million. Vertiflex sells the Superion Indirect Decompression System, a device designed to improve physical function and reduce pain in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

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Johnson & Johnson seized the surgical robotics opportunity and acquired Auris Health for $3.4 billion. Auris Health developed the Monarch Platform, a system currently used in bronchoscopic diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The deal helped boost J&J’s position in surgical robotics – a space it was already making significant progress in due to its Verb joint venture with Verily Lifesciences.

Zoll Medical wasted little time trying to acquire TherOx. The company swooped in to get TherOx and the SuperSaturated Oxygen (SSO2) Therapy technology. The therapy has been demonstrated to reduce infarct size after primary coronary intervention with stenting in patients with left anterior descending ST-elevation myocardial infarction. 

Guardant Health picked up Bellwether Bio, a private company focused on improving oncology patient care through pioneering research into the epigenomic content of cell-free DNA (liquid biopsy). Bellwether Bio was Guardant Health’s first acquisition as a public company.

Edwards Lifesciences made a move to acquire Cas Medical Systems for about $100 million to grow its critical care unit. Branford, CT-based Cas Medical specialises in the non-invasive monitoring of tissue oxygenation in the brain. Cas Medical’s FORE-SIGHT sensor is compatible with Edwards’ HemoSphere advanced hemodynamic monitoring platform.

Fresenius‘ $2 billion-deal to acquire NxStage began in 2017. But due to a series of twists and turns (antitrust laws), Fresenius didn’t actually complete the acquisition of NxStage until this year. NxStage makes medical devices for home dialysis and critical care.

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