Acquisitions In Brief
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Cooper Surgical buys Her Option from AMS: American Medical Systems divests its Her Option global endometrial ablation system to Cooper Surgical for $20.5 million in a deal announced Feb. 16. The cryoblation therapy system, which generated about $10 million in sales last year, fits with Cooper Surgical's core strength in the obstetrics/gynecology office space. Meanwhile, the sale of the technology to the Cooper Companies' women's health care unit will allow AMS "to focus our resources on addressing unmet needs in our established pelvic health markets while maximizing the return to our shareholders for this non-strategic asset," AMS explains. Her Option was first approved by FDA in 2001 to treat excessive menstrual bleeding by using extreme cold to ablate the endometrial lining of the uterus. AMS acquired the technology through its purchase of CryoGen in 2002 (1"The Gray Sheet" Dec. 23, 2002). Separately, on Feb. 16, AMS reported fourth-quarter sales of $146 million, up 9% from the same quarter last year