Boston Scientific Corp. looked ready to keep steamrolling down the acquisition path with the news that it is acquiring Penumbra Inc., a company that makes devices for interventional therapies to treat vascular conditions such as stroke and aneurysm, for a whopping $14.5 billion. The deal values Alameda, Calif.-based Penumbra at $374 per share, a premium of about 19.3% to its last close on Jan 14. Penumbra shareholders can elect to receive either $374 in cash or 3.8721 Boston Scientific shares, with the deal paid about 73% in cash and 27% in stock. Michael Mahoney, chairman and CEO of Boston Scientific, said in a call on the deal that Penumbra operates in segments that are growth accretive to Boston Scientific, “and we expect this transaction to support our goals over the long-range plan.”

Distalmotion secures investment from J&J for Dexter

Distalmotion SA recently secured a strategic investment from Johnson & Johnson for its robotic-assisted surgical system Dexter, amid an increase in demand from ambulatory surgery centers for such platforms. The deal follows Distalmotion’s $150 million in a series G financing, and coincides with J&J’s recent submission of its own robotic surgical system, Ottava, to the U.S. FDA., for clearance.

Adoption of 14971 for risk management a smart move for industry

The U.S. FDA has endorsed ISO 14971 for risk management for medical device manufacturers, but there’s nothing compulsory about industry’s use of this standard. Nonetheless, Sarah Moore, principal program lead at NSF, told BioWorld that adoption of 14971 is still the most seamless way to demonstrate proper risk management practices to FDA field investigators, given that the alternative is almost always more work for both sides during facility inspections.

Sea anemone venom acts as a senolytic tool against cancer

The sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus, which carpets the Caribbean seafloor, may hold the key to eliminating the senescent cells that survive cancer therapy. A collaboration led by Spanish scientists across several international research centers has discovered a new type of toxin that selectively eliminates senescent cancer cells. Sea anemone venom not only acts as a senolytic but also promotes tumor removal and helps prevent its reappearance. “There is a lot of interest right now in the industry worldwide to find compounds that are targeting these senescent cells,” senior author Maria Ikonomopoulou told BioWorld. “If you have a compound that can kill these senescent cells as well as the cancer cells, or in combination with other chemotherapy approaches, then you have a better success rate potentially in the patients.”

Also in the news

Abbott Labs, Advanced Sterilization Products, Billiontoone, Broadwood Partners, Epic, Femasys, Hyperfine, Intuitap Medical, Mylife, Robotron Surgical Technologies, Staar Surgical, VB Spine, Vizmark