Elephant Cha-Cha: The J&J/Guidant Deal

If you want some sense of the magnitude of Johnson & Johnson's recently announced acquisition of Guidant Corp., consider this: the $25.4 billion price tag was more than six times larger than any other deal done in the medical device space over the past six years; Still, if device industry executives were amazed by the deal, they weren't surprised. J&J's play for Guidant had been rumored for years-driven, it was argued, by a logical desire on the part of J&J to build on a valuable cardiovascular device business by accessing a major cardiac rhythm management (CRM) business. But it was the vascular business of both companies that seemed to propel the merger beyond the talking stages, beginning most notably, with the deal J&J and Guidant signed earlier this year to co-promote Cordis' Cypher drug-eluting stent. However, for all of the promise implicit in the merger of these two giants, there are enormous integration issues to be addressed, both before and after the deal closes. And for now, precisely how these challenges are resolved is likely to be fraught with uncertainty.

By David Cassak

If you want some sense of the magnitude of Johnson & Johnson 's recently announced acquisition of Guidant Corp. , consider this: the $25.4 billion price tag was...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on In Vivo for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required

More from Leadership

Rising Leaders 2025: Pedro Valencia’s ADC Vision At AbbVie

 
• By 

From chemical engineering to cancer innovation, AbbVie's rising oncology leader is advancing next-generation ADCs to tackle difficult-to-treat tumors with a patient-centered approach.

Leaders At The Frontier: Conversations From SynBioBeta 2025

 
• By 

Mini-profiles of five synthetic biology companies and their leaders from SynBioBeta 2025 reveal how AI integration, data-driven platforms and interdisciplinary teams are revolutionizing drug discovery and manufacturing.

US Health System Redesign Critical, NAM’s Medical Experts Warn Trump Government

 
• By 

The whirlwind back-and-forth on US tariffs and Robert F. Kennedy jr.’s plans to deregulate health care have become all-preoccupying, but the National Academy of Medicine was first to set out President Trump’s health administration priorities.

Podcast: “Powerful Yet Unexplored”: Commit Biologics Tackles The Complement System

 

Mikkel Wandahl Pederson, CEO and chief scientific officer at Commit Biologics, discussed the company’s mission to harness the powerful complement system for the treatment of serious diseases.

More from In Vivo

US Health System Redesign Critical, NAM’s Medical Experts Warn Trump Government

 
• By 

The whirlwind back-and-forth on US tariffs and Robert F. Kennedy jr.’s plans to deregulate health care have become all-preoccupying, but the National Academy of Medicine was first to set out President Trump’s health administration priorities.

Podcast: “Powerful Yet Unexplored”: Commit Biologics Tackles The Complement System

 

Mikkel Wandahl Pederson, CEO and chief scientific officer at Commit Biologics, discussed the company’s mission to harness the powerful complement system for the treatment of serious diseases.

ML-Assisted Genetic Risk Score Predicts GLP-1 Adverse Events

 
• By 

Phenomix Science presented new data at Digestive Disease Week 2025 showing its machine learning-assisted genetic risk score can predict nausea and side effects from GLP-1 receptor agonists, aiding personalized obesity treatment.