Pacts In Medtech, July/August 2017

While the traditional summer recess led to an expected drop in the number of alliances in August, there was still a good level of activity from medtech players – with a couple of joint ventures thrown in – right through the month before.

Among the industry pacts sealed in July was between Japan's Pentax Medical and a much smaller and younger Chinese player, Aohua Photoelectricity Endoscope, to create a joint venture focused on flexible medical endoscopes. The new company, named Pentax-Aohua Medical Technologies Co., Ltd, will draw on its two owners' established expertise and sales presence in this area to develop and sell flexible medical endoscopes initially to the emerging markets in Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Middle East and North Africa. The companies estimate the global flexible endoscopy market to be worth approximately $2.5bn and growing at an average rate of of 5% annually