Beacon Bioscience (Doylestown, Pennsylvania), an imaging informatics company, acquired the Medical Imaging Core Lab Division of BioCor (Yardley, Pennsylvania). Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Beacon said it uses advanced medical imaging and proprietary informatics technologies to create knowledge for medical product development and the genome revolution. BioCor will continue to offer core services through its clinical data services and consulting divisions: clinical and imaging data management, programming, biostatistics, medical writing and regulatory services. Andrew Kraus, co-founder of BioCor, has joined the executive management team and Beacon has retained all staff members of the imaging division. Beacon will continue to offer services and products for pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and life science companies.

Colorado MEDtech (Boulder, Colorado), a provider of medical technology outsourcing services and imaging products, reported completing the sale of its CMED Catheter and Disposables Technology subsidiary to CardioTech International (Woburn, Massachusetts) in a $1.3 million cash deal on April 30. CardioTech makes biocompatible, medical-grade polyurethanes for the development of grafts and other implantable devices. Colorado MEDtech said the sale is part of its strategy to focus on its core business of advanced medical technology outsourcing and medical imaging. Its outsourcing program includes development, software, medical device communications and manufacturing services, while medical imaging includes critical system components and ultrasound accessories.

e-MedSoft.com (Jacksonville Beach, Florida) and Chartwell Diversified Services (Lowell, Massachusetts) completed the next step in their previously announced merger by executing a definitive merger agreement. e-Medsoft.com will issue at its discretion either $90 million in cash or 50 million shares of its common stock, plus five-year warrants covering 20 million shares of e-Medsoft.com common stock having a strike price of $4 a share. Chartwell provides home infusion services, clinical respiratory services, home medical equipment, home health services, and specialty pharmacy services throughout the U.S. e-MedSoft.com is an application service provider of health care portal solutions.

Emergent Group (New York), a merchant banking firm, will acquire Trimedyne (Irvine, California), a developer of laser technologies and proprietary fiber-optic devices used in minimally invasive procedures in orthopedics, urology, ENT surgery, gynecology, gastrointestinal surgery and general surgery. Specific terms were not released. Trimedyne recently introduced a less-invasive laser procedure for spinal disk decompression, and said it is the only manufacturer with FDA clearance for the use of its laser in foraminoplasty, a procedure in which bone is removed in the spine to help relieve lower back and leg pain and numbness. The company's wholly owned subsidiary, Mobile Surgical Technologies, provides capital equipment and surgical services to hospitals and surgery centers in the Southwest on a fee-per-case basis.

Johnson & Johnson (J&J; New Brunswick, New Jersey) said it is in discussions to acquire certain portions of Inverness Medical Technology (Waltham, Massachusetts) in a stock-for-stock deal valued at approximately $1.3 billion. The business units to be acquired by J&J include Inverness's electrochemical blood glucose meter and strip business (including the One Touch FastTake and One Touch Ultra meters and strips), and two recent Inverness acquisitions: LXN, which makes dual glucose and fructosamine monitors, and Integ, which has developed interstitial fluid sampling technology. In addition, J&J would gain rights to the Debiotech SA insulin pump license. Inverness shareholders would receive J&J common stock at valued $35 a share, plus a common stock interest in the new company, for each Inverness share. If the acquisition is completed, Inverness will split off its businesses in women's health, nutritional supplements and clinical diagnostics to form a new publicly traded company owned by Inverness shareholders. In another proposed deal, J&J and Alza (Mountain View, California) reported that the SEC has declared effective their statement concerning a stock-for-stock merger transaction in which J&J will acquire Alza. The merger is subject to the approval of Alza stockholders and to certain other conditions. Alza stockholders will vote on whether to approve the merger at a special meeting June 21. Alza is a drug-delivery company focused in urology, oncology and central nervous system products.

Smith & Nephew (S&N; London) said it will sell its ear, nose and throat (ENT) business based in Memphis, Tennessee, to the Gyrus Group (Cardiff, United Kingdom), a maker of medical devices for minimally invasive surgery, in a cash deal. Completion is subject to approval of the shareholders of Gyrus and regulatory and other normal clearances. The deal is expected to be completed this month. Smith & Nephew said proceeds from the sale of the ENT unit will be used to reduce company debt. Chris O'Donnell, CEO of S&N, said, "ENT is a good business, but does not fit our strategic direction in terms of size and reach. It will be better placed in a company which can help it develop its potential."