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.

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, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, 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.

Clinical laboratories in the US and Europe are facing pressure from all sides as budget cuts and staffing shortages compete with a growing demand for ever-more-sophisticated lab tests to serve an aging population. As a result, lab directors are seeking innovative ways to improve efficiency and do more with less, and those goals are driving innovation in technology-based solutions such as laboratory automation and informatics. These solutions are increasingly becoming integrated into the total laboratory process – encompassing not only sample analysis, but also up- and downstream workflows – paving the way for the fully integrated, automated lab of the future.

A roundup of recent medtech mergers & acquisitions, strategic alliances, and financings.