Covidien Still Hungry For GI After Barrx Buy

Just as it did with VNUS, Covidien snapped up a smaller leader in a field where it had very little contact – esophageal cancer and its precursor Barrett’s esophagus – with the intent of building a larger presence. Covidien paid $325 million for Barrx Medical Inc., developer of a radiofrequency tool capable of eliminating Barrett’s, a condition in which damaged esophageal tissue presents an elevated risk of developing into esophageal cancer.