Stimulating Growth: St. Jude buys ANS

Is there a hotter sector in medical devices today than neuromodulation/neurostimulation? Just a year after Boston Scientific leapt into the market by paying a huge amount of money--$740 million not counting earn-outs--for Advanced Bionics, St. Jude Medical tops that with its recently announced $1.3 billion deal for neuromodulation leader Advanced Neuromodulation Systems. (ANS). The acquisition offers St. Jude an additional growth platform outside its existing product offerings in cardiac rhythm management (particularly ICDs), atrial fibrillation, and cardiology.