Medtronic buys hearing aid maker Sophono
March 26, 2015 by Brad Perriello
Medtronic today said it closed a buyout of hearing aid maker Sophono for an undisclosed amount and plans to integrate it into its ear, nose & throat business.
Boulder, Colo.-based Sophono sells its magnetic hearing implants in 42 countries. The devices, intended for patients 5 years and older with single-sided deafness or conductive mixed hearing loss, are designed to transmit sound through the skin, Medtronic said. Read more
The year of the medtech mega-merger
March 26, 2015 by Brad Perriello
The $40 billion worth of mergers and acquisitions last year in the medical device industry made it the year of the mega-merger, according to EP Vantage, with deal value more than doubling compared with 2013.
And that’s not even counting the largest merger in medtech history, Medtronic’s $50 billion acquisition of Covidien, which closed in late January. Read more
European regulators OK $13B Zimmer-Biomet deal
March 30, 2015 by Brad Perriello
Zimmer today said that anti-trust regulators in the European Union approved its pending merger with cross-town orthopedics rival Biomet, setting the stage for the $13.35 billion deal to close next month.
Warsaw, Ind.-based Zimmer said the European Commission cleared the deal on a conditional basis, provided the company goes through with its plan to divest certain assets. Read more
Uroplasty, Vision-Sciences shareholders OK merger
March 30, 2015 by Brad Perriello
Minnesota-based Uroplasty today said its shareholders and the stockowners of New York’s Vision-Sciences approved their pending merger and plan to re-brand as Cogentix Medical.
Cogentix, which is slated to be based in Uroplasty’s home base of Minnetonka, Minn., said the deal is expected to close later this week. Read more
Philips sells stake in lighting biz for $3B
March 31, 2015 by MassDevice
Royal Philips’ agreed to sell an 80.1% stake in its lighting components division for $2.8 billion to Go Scale Capital, a technology fund that will seek to expand the company’s automotive and LED businesses.
The deal announced yesterday is a prelude to an even bigger strategic move for Philips: Spinning off its main lighting division, the world’s largest lighting maker, via a stock market flotation, as the Dutch group focuses on medical technology and selected consumer products. Read more
