Device firms closed the final quarter of 2012 with $1.1 billion in financing, led by Volcano’s debt offering. Takeovers of Gambro and PSS Medical topped the device M&A list. At $196 million, Q4 diagnostic financing was the lowest quarter of the year, but IPOs returned with three public debuts. Amgen’s $415 million acquisition of deCODE was the largest diagnostic M&A.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Elsevier Business Intelligence’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Dealmaking column is a survey of recent health care transactions listed by relevant industry segment –In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals – and then categorized by type –Acquisition, Alliance, or Financing.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Elsevier Business Intelligence’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.

The dealmaking column is a survey of recent transactions, including strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions, and financings, in the life sciences industries. Deals are listed by the following industry sectors: in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and research/analytical instrumentation and reagents. All transactions are excerpted from Elsevier's Strategic Transactions database, providing comprehensive transaction coverage from 1991 to the present.