Medtronic’s Surgical Strikes

by | May 20, 2016 8:00 am | Medical Devices

The Irish medical device maker Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) announced two strategic investments on May 18. The first wasn’t an acquisition, but could be a precursor to one. The company agreed to buy 15  next-generation robotic spinal systems from Israel-based Mazor Robotics Ltd. In addition, Medtronic will purchase newly issued securities representing 4% of Mazor’s outstanding shares for $11.9 million, and will have the opportunity to buy another 6%, plus a further 5%, in future allotments. The two companies together will promote Mazor’s spinal system, which helps surgeons plan and execute surgeries. If the initial phase of the agreement meets expectations by the end of... Read More »

Zimmer-Biomet Merger Spurs More Deals

by | Jun 29, 2015 2:04 pm | Medical Devices

After more than a year of regulatory reviews in the United States and Europe, Warsaw, Indiana-based Zimmer Holdings (NYSE: ZMH) and its cross-town rival Biomet, Inc., finally tied the knot on June 24, 2015. In April 2014, when the deal was first announced, the price was put at $13.35 billion. At closing, management stated that the value of the deal was approximately $14 billion. The combined company will be known as Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., and will trade on the NYSE and SIX under the ticker symbol ZBH. The acquisition was conditioned upon the sale of some Zimmer and Biomet assets, and hot on the heels of the closing, Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) acquired Zimmer’s Unicompartmental... Read More »

Smith & Nephew Gets Some Help in the OR

by | May 11, 2015 5:29 pm | Hospitals

Medical device maker Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE: SNN) acquired two surgical software applications, Virtual BackTable® and TrayTouch®, from privately held S2 Interactive. Both of the applications are used by Syncera, Smith & Nephew’s new orthopedic supply chain model for hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). They allow hospital and ASC administrators to access, analyze and manage real-time data related to instrument use during surgery. Arthroplasty surgery can involve as many as 20 trays holding a total of 200 or more instruments, all of which need to be counted, cleaned, inspected, assembled and sterilized before every surgery. Read More »