Hey, Get Out of My Space

Executive Summary

Chemdex Corp., a leading supplier of reagents and other products to laboratories and pharmaceutical R&D departments has acquired Promedix.com, a provider of purchasing services in high-tech, physician-preferred medical devices. With Chemdex's market cap soaring towards $1.5 billion, Promedix investors have seen their deal value increase over 50% beyond the $340 million at which it was first valued. The strategic rationale for this and similar kinds of deals is less obvious.