Medical Device Deals Stagnated in Q1:17

Deal volume in the Medical Device sector stagnated in early 2017, dropping 4% to 22 transactions in the first quarter. Deal volume was also down 29%, compared with Q1:16. This quarter accounted for 21% of the 104 deals announced in the previous 12 months. The excise tax that was introduced through the Affordable Care Act in January 2013 was suspended temporarily in December 2015. Now, medical device makers are hoping the tax will be rescinded completely with whatever bill Republicans pass to replace the ACA. The permanent repeal would brighten the outlook for startups and venture capitalists, and could lead to more innovation (and M&A) in the future. Source: HealthCareMandA.com, April... Read More »

Allergan Inks its Third Deal of the Year

As of mid-March, Allergan (NYSE: AGN) has spent nearly $4 billion on three acquisitions in 2017. Although its $2.48 billion purchase of ZELTIQ® Aesthetics, Inc. accounts for most of that total, the pharmaceutical giant hasn’t failed to strengthen its several pipelines in the meantime. On January 9, 2017, it purchased global rights to Assembly Biosciences’ (NASDAQ: ASMB) preclinical compounds for $50 million upfront. The compounds include ABI-M201 and ABI-M301, for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), as well as two additional compounds to be identified by Assembly for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Then, on March 14, Allergan entered a strategic research and development... Read More »
Health Care Deals Cratered in February 2017

Health Care Deals Cratered in February 2017

After a very strong performance in January 2017 with 160 transactions announced, February’s deal volume collapsed 45%, to just 88 transactions (see chart below). Compared with the same month a year ago, it’s was only down 30%, to 125 deals. Don’t forget, 2016 was a leap year, so an additional six more deals snuck into last year’s results on February 29. What difference that doesn’t make for this year’s results. Yes, it’s all because of the uncertainty around the fate of the Affordable Care Act. Many of the services sectors will be effected by what becomes of Medicaid, whether states will receive block grants, or some other solution. At least two of... Read More »

Allergan and Hologic Add Aesthetic Devices

Two days in February, two multi-billion-dollar deals in the Medical Device sector. But these aren’t your everyday deals for prosthesis, abdominal stents or novel surgical tools. Both target companies fall into the medical aesthetics category of medical devices, which includes body contouring and other cosmetic procedures that are generally cash-pay businesses. On February 13, 2017, Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN) purchased ZELTIQ® Aesthetics, Inc. for $2.48 billion, or $56.50 per share. ZELTIQ® Aesthetics develops and commercializes products utilizing its controlled-cooling technology platform. Its flagship CoolSculpting system is FDA-cleared to affect appearance through lipolysis or... Read More »