Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’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. This month’s column covers deals announced in December 2018.

Even though 2018 did not feature the big influx of biopharma M&A that was expected, there were still encouraging signs that major advancements and breakthroughs in the biotech industry attract buy-outs. Cancer-focused companies and oncology assets again drove volume in alliances and financing transactions.

A company’s contracts of today drive its income of tomorrow – but also its disputes. Dorothee Schramm, a partner at Sidley Austin who specializes in international commercial disputes, provides tips on how to avoid partnership conflicts.

The conventional wisdom in the medtech industry is to pursue the “razor-razor blade” business model, as each placement of capital equipment generates a lucrative annuity of recurring revenues from disposables. The corollary to this conventional wisdom is that so-called “big iron” is to be avoided as, in sharp contrast, it suffers from greater early cash requirements and longer sales cycles that create difficulties forecasting quarterly revenues, and provides no annuities. But that view is no longer the only one that counts, Health Advances CEO Mark Speers argues.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’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. This month’s column covers deals announced in November 2018.

Third quarter device financing totaled $2.6 billion, a 24% decrease from the $3.4 billion brought in during Q2. The change partially stems from a sharp decline in debt financing. During the third quarter, debt raises brought in $258 million, just 10% of the Q3 total, while in the previous quarter, aggregate debt (at $947 million) represented 28% of the financing total.