St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota) says it has acquired Endosense (Geneva, Switzerland), a private company that has pioneered contact-force measurement in catheter ablation. St. Jude said it made an initial payment of about CHF 159 million ($170 million) and acquired 100% of the outstanding equity of Endosense. The company also has agreed to pay up to CHF 150 million ($161 million), in cash milestone payments, contingent upon both the achievement and timing of a regulatory milestone. This brings the potential total of the deal up to $331 million.

The story of U.S.-based companies going overseas to develop and commercialize technology isn't an uncommon tale for the medical device industry. But what happens when firms based outside of the U.S. seek to gain FDA approval for an application and get a foothold in the states?