Third-quarter device financing at $2.38 billion – almost half of that amount from CooperSurgical's $1.1 billion bridge loan – was double the Q2 total, while device acquisitions showed a steep decrease at $3.38 billion versus Q2's $33.4 billion. Diagnostics fundraising also was up in the third quarter, reaching $2.4 billion (a 133% increase over Q2) mostly from Thermo Fisher Scientific's $1.5 billion follow-on offering, which accounted for 63% of the total. In line with the previous quarter's $1.7 billion in M&A, Q3 diagnostics acquisitions had an aggregate value of $1.8 billion, led by Konica Minolta's $1 billion buy of Ambry Genetics.

The deal, subject to the completion of Abbott's planned acquisition of Alere, includes the Triage MeterPro cardiovascular and toxicology businesses, as well as the Triage BNP business. These additions will diversify Quidel's portfolio of rapid diagnostic products for critical care settings and give it a stronger presence in the point-of-care market.

The European Commission has approved Abbott Laboratories' pending acquisition of Alere, on condition that Alere's Epoc, Triage and BNP businesses are divested to alleviate anti-trust concerns. However, Abbott is still looking to cut loose from the $5.8bn deal.