December 2016 Didn’t Deliver a Year-End Boost

The final month of the fourth quarter is typically a busy one for deal makers in all industries. Last year, some health care deal makers apparently got a rest. Deal volume in December 2016 was an anemic 119 transactions, compared with 131 deals in November and 148 in December 2015. The Services sectors accounted for 55% of the deals in December, which is on the low side. Consider that, in November, Services accounted for 69% of the month’s transactions, and even 70% of the total in December 2015. Spending on those deals reached $15.4 billion, a relatively modest amount until it is compared with November’s $8.7 billion total (+78%) and December 2015’s $12.3 billion total (+26%). Suddenly,... Read More »

M and A Slows in Pharma Sector in 2016

The pharmaceutical industry has been the behemoth of healthcare M&A, usually accounting for the largest dollar amounts spent in any given year and often one of the most active in terms of number of transactions. But since its record year in 2014, this sector has been on a slow decline. Big Pharma deal volume dropped 9% since 2015, from 171 that year to 156 deals in 2016. Dollars spent slid even further, down 39%, from $138.4 billion in 2015 to just $84.45 billion in 2016. The Pharma sector is notorious for its multi-billion dollar mega deals. The largest pharma deal in 2016 is a prime example, as it was also the largest deal of the year. That was Shire plc’s... Read More »

2016 Delivered on Health Care M and A

As health care mergers and acquisitions go, 2016 lived up to the predictions that M&A activity would stay strong. Preliminary data for year-end totals shows 1,536 announced transactions across 13 healthcare sectors. The total represents a 1% increase in deal volume compared with 2015. (See chart below.) Spending on those deals was significantly lower than the previous year, at least for now. The combined total spending in 2016 now stands at $255.7 billion, down 36% compared with 2015’s $400.3 billion. Nearly $100 billion of that total now hangs in the balance, as two of 2015’s largest deals (Anthem/Cigna and Aetna/Humana) await decisions from a federal judge regarding... Read More »

Abbott to Alere: It’s You, Not Me

The party’s about over for the $5.8 billion Abbott (NYSE: ABT) acquisition of Alere Inc. (NYSE: ALR). Everything was bright and rosy when Abbott agreed to pay $56.00 per share for the point-of-care diagnostics and services company. Now, the $177 million termination fee Abbott faces to get out of the deal looks pretty cheap. In April, Abbott reportedly offered Alere $50 million to terminate the deal, but got no takers. The trouble began almost immediately. The day of the announcement, February 1, Alere’s stock price shot up nearly 46%, to $54.11. But later that month,  it announced would delay filing its 2015 financial results with securities regulators due to revenue recognition... Read More »

Biotechnology Deals Will Surpass 2015’s Record

Deal volume in the Biotechnology sector is poised to surpass last year’s record-setting 160 transactions. With two weeks left in 2016, deal volume has reached 159 transactions. The activity in this sector shows no signs of abating, and will probably carry through the first half of 2017, at least. Big Pharma companies are driving the M&A activity, as they actively compete for promising drug candidates to bolster their aging pipelines. A case in point is a deal that hasn’t been announced yet, but that the industry is watching with interest. French pharma company Sanofi (NYSE: SNY) is reported to be deep into acquisition talks with Swiss... Read More »

The Biggest Deals of 2016

It’s been a busy year for healthcare deal making. As of December 2, the combined total spending was $239.1 billion, going to finance 1,419 transactions. That’s 40% behind the $400 billion spent in all of 2015, but just 7% behind last year’s deal volume of 1,520 deals. Thirty-six deals of $1.0 billion or higher have been announced to date in 2016, with a current total of $184.2 billion. These deals comprise 77% of spending so far, and no doubt there will be a few more before New Year’s Eve. By comparison, 2015 ended with a combined total spending of $400.6 billion on 1,520 transactions. Fifty-two of those transactions reported spending of $1.0 billion or higher, for... Read More »