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

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

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, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and research/analytical instrumentation and reagents. All transactions are excerpted from Elsevier's Strategic Transactions

Last year saw a surprising number of investments in devices for urology but the development activity in this space should not be surprising, given that prostate disease-both prostate cancer and BPH-are diseases of aging, setting in after age 40 when hormonal changes may cause the prostate to enlarge. BPH, for example, affects more than 50% of men age 60 and older and 90% of men age 70 and older. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of carcinoma death in men. These demographic trends are reflected in the rapid growth in surgical procedures for the treatment of prostate disease, many of which are projected to grow at high double-digit rates in major global economies, according to a series of reports detailing surgical volumes and trends by country, published by the Medtech Insight division of Elsevier Business Intelligence.