CryoLife Refocuses on Cardiac Surgery Devices

by | Feb 12, 2016 4:09 pm | Medical Devices

Acquisitions often lead to divestitures, and that’s just what happened when CryoLife Inc. (NYSE: CRY) paid $130 million for privately held On-X Life Technologies Holdings, Inc. in December 2015. The medical device maker also processes and distributes implantable human tissues for use in cardiac and vascular surgeries, while On-X Life specializes in mechanical heart valve replacements. That deal strengthened CryoLife’s focus on aortic and mitral valve surgery, as it more than doubled the size of its U.S. cardiac sales force. That made its Hemodialysis Reliable Outflow Graft (HeRO) product line less vital to its core business, and so the HeRO product line was sold to Merit... Read More »

Stryker Strikes Two Deals in Two Weeks

by | Feb 10, 2016 8:42 pm | Medical Devices, Private Equity

Medical device maker Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK) announced its second deal in two weeks, buying the neurosurgery tools portfolio of Synergetics USA Inc. for an undisclosed sum. The portfolio consists of Synergetics’  Malis generator, Spetzler Malis disposable forceps, and Stryker’s existing Sonopet tips and RF generator. The products will complement Stryker’s neuro, spine and ear-nose-throat business, as well as expand its neurosurgical offerings. The first deal, announced on February 1, was Stryker’s nearly $2.8 billion acquisition of Sage Products, LLC, a portfolio company of Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC. Sage develops, manufactures and distributes... Read More »

2015 Health Care M&A Beats All Records

by | Jan 28, 2016 2:55 pm | Behavioral Health Care, Biotechnology, eHealth, Home Health & Hospice, Hospitals, Laboratories, MRI & Dialysis, Long-Term Care, Managed Care, Medical Devices, Other Services, Pharmaceuticals, Physician Medical Groups, Rehabilitation

It’s déjà vu all over again. 2014 was a record-breaker for health care M&A, with 1,317 transactions and spending at an astronomical $387 billion. Then 2015 came and went and, once again, we’re writing about a record-breaking number of transactions, 1,460 currently, and astronomical spending of $563 billion. Read More »
J&J Slices Its Medical Device Division

J&J Slices Its Medical Device Division

by | Jan 21, 2016 9:12 pm | Medical Devices

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) announced the restructuring of its medical devices business on January 19, 2016. Its 8K filing noted pre-tax restructuring charges of $2.0 billion to $2.4 billion, expected to be incurred this year, as well as a Q4:15 charge of approximately $600 million. About 4% to 6% of the division’s global workforce will get walking papers over the next two years, resulting in a $500 million charge for severance. On a more upbeat note, JNJ expects to see annualized pre-tax cost savings of $800 million to $1.0 billion. This move comes as the market for medical devices has slowed, particularly in the United States. As one of many cost-cutting measures, U.S.... Read More »

Private Equity in Health Care M&A, 2015

by | Dec 17, 2015 9:43 pm | eHealth, Long-Term Care, Medical Devices, Other Services, Private Equity

It’s been a superlative year for health care M&A overall, and private equity firms have made a significant contribution. With two (busy) weeks left to go in 2015, PE buyers have announced 129 deals, and that’s not including all the portfolio companies that were building their platforms in the various sectors. Below are some preliminary stats we’ve put together on PE activity in 2015. Private equity buyers account for 9% of the present deal volume of 1,395 transactions, which is typical in recent years. Deal value is a less substantial measure of PE activity, because the majority of deals don’t disclose financial terms. As of December 17, $9.1 billion has been... Read More »