Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Medical Device Deals Update column is a survey of recent medtech M&A, alliance, and financing activity. This month’s column covers deals announced March-April 2016.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Venture Funding Deals column provides a comprehensive monthly review of emerging life science companies that have received venture funding, including companies within the In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals sectors. This month’s column covers deals announced March through April 2016.

An estimated 15 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea severe enough to warrant treatment, but this field has been chronically underserved by traditional continuous positive airway pressure systems that are inconvenient and uncomfortable to use. To address this problem, CPAP manufacturers are making design improvements to optimize comfort and compliance; at the same time, promising new technologies are emerging – including neurostimulation devices for OSA – that could help reshape the future management of this often overlooked, but serious disorder.

Sleep apnea is now widely recognized as an underlying factor for major CV diseases and metabolic disorders, making it a huge market opportunity. ApniCure hopes that by avoiding the CPAP masks that patients hate while using the differential pressure therapy that doctors and payors like, it can unlock this potential blockbuster market.