In Device M&A, Happy Days are Here Again

After dropping markedly for two consecutive years, both the number of acquisitions in medical devices and the total dollar volume of those deals jumped significantly in 2003, reaching 71 and $9.17 billion, respectively. And if the dollar volumes and number of deals in 2003 weren't good news enough, an analysis of some of the trends behind the deal-making should give device executives even more cause to be happy. Thus, while a significant number of the total deals do fall within only two clinical categories, cardiovascular and orthopedics, the larger picture shows an M&A climate that is quite diversified. Similarly, the perception that deal-making is concentrated in the hands of a small group of large companies isn't borne out by the data. That said, new technology trends, most notably the convergence of drugs and devices, and new deal structures suggest, at least anecdotally, that device M&A may be changing.