Less than five months ago, the FDA approved the first completely drug-free, device-based treatment option to help asthmatic adults gain control over the condition. Now, Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts) says it plans to buy Asthmatx (Sunnyvale, California), the company that makes the Alair bronchial thermoplasty system, for an upfront payment of $193.5 million and additional payments of up to $250 million. (Medical Device Daily)

A contract manufacturing company that believes "good enough" isn't has been created to help medical device makers address the increasing challenges in the industry. (Medical Device Daily)

Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp; Burlington, North Carolina) said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Genzyme Genetics, a business unit of Genzyme (Cambridge, Massachusetts) in an all-cash deal valued at $925 million, and increasing the odds that Sanofi-Aventis (Paris) could raise its acquisition bid. (Medical Device Daily)

In response to increased pricing pressures and a drop in procedure volume across multiple sectors in the medical device industry, Wells Fargo Securities analysts Larry Biegelsen and Mike Matson hosted a call Friday with Ed Dougherty, senior VP at B&D Consulting (Indianapolis) and chair of the health and life sciences practice to help investors better understand the changing pricing and reimbursement environment. (Medical Device Daily)

St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota) and CardioMems (Atlanta) reported reaching an agreement under which St. Jude will make a $60 million equity investment in CardioMems. In return, St. Jude gets an immediate 19% ownership in the company and the exclusive option to acquire the company for an additional payment of $375 million during the period that extends through the completion of certain commercialization milestones. (Medical Device Daily)