Interrad Medical Inc. has formed a strategic partnership with Eloquest Healthcare Inc. to accelerate sales growth of what is described as the only subcutaneous catheter securement device in the world.
The FDA has cleared a plasma collection device developed by Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo BCT) and plasma collection network CSL Plasma. The companies, which are subsidiaries of Terumo Corp. and CSL Ltd., signed a collaboration deal in 2021 to develop the new Rika device for CSL Plasma collection centers. The automated technology is designed to reduce plasma collection time to 35 minutes or less. According to the Red Cross, plasma donations currently take on average about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Brightinsight Inc. and UCB SA struck a deal to jointly develop a digital disease management solution for patients with rare diseases. The companies will start with a mobile app for myasthenia gravis (MG) built on Brightinsight’s platform. UCB joins CSL Behring, Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi SA and Roche AG in partnering with Brightinsight on digital disease management.
Lumithera Inc. has completed the acquisition of Diopsys Inc. to expand its footprint of ocular disease care. Under the terms of the agreement, Pine Brook, N.J.-based Diopsys is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Poulsbo, Wash.-based Lumithera, with its electroretinography technology adding to Lumithera’s photobiomodulation (PBM) Valeda light delivery system for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatment.
The news from Quanterix Corp. has come fast and furiously this week. The company reported that Chairman and CEO Kevin Hrusovsky will step down on April 25 and become executive chairman of the board, while current company President Masoud Toloue will assume the CEO position and join the board of directors. Hrusovsky became CEO in 2014 and Toloue joined Quanterix in June 2021 from Perkinelmer Inc. The company also revealed that it has built on its collaboration with Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. for new tools to diagnose, monitor and treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and presented its fiscal 2021 financial results, which showed a 28% increase in total revenue, largely attributable to its neurology segment.
Dariohealth Corp. and Sanofi U.S., a subsidiary of Paris-based Sanofi SA, inked a strategic agreement that provides Dario with $30 million to speed commercial adoption of the company’s integrated digital therapeutics platform. The company simultaneously announced definitive agreements with institutional investors to purchase approximately 5,342,013 shares of its common stock at $7.49 per share, a deal that will generate about $40 million for the company.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has signed off on an amendment to the divestiture plan for Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX), of Marlborough, Mass., related to the acquisition of British Technology Group plc (BTG).
Med-tech deals are showing a 136% increase in value, partially due to rising interest in digital health technologies, and despite decreasing activity focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. While deal values are up, the opposite is true for M&A values. They have fallen by 15% in comparison with the same time frame last year.
In a move that stunned and dismayed analysts and investors, Masimo Corp. announced a definitive agreement to acquire Sound United LLC Tuesday evening for $1.025 billion. Masimo’s stock (NASDAQ:MASI) plunged on the news of its intended purchase of the high-performance consumer audio products company, plummeting 39% from $228.84 at Tuesday’s close to $139.60 at Wednesday’s opening bell. Volatility led the Nasdaq to suspend trading in the stock for four minutes before 10 am. The stock recovered slightly during the day to close Wednesday at $147.00.
Collplant Biotechnologies Ltd. has signed a collaboration agreement with 3D bioprinting company Cellink AB for future commercial production of regenerative breast implants. Rehovot, Israel-based Collplant has developed prototypes of 3D bioprinted implants and is evaluating them in preclinical studies. The regenerative implants are designed to degrade over time and be replaced by new, naturally grown breast tissue. The technology aims to overcome the challenges of existing breast procedures that use silicone implants or autologous fat tissue transfer.