Sorin (Milan, Italy), a global medical device company specializing in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and Cyberonics (Houston), a medical device company with core expertise in neuromodulation, reported a merger plan to create a new company with a combined equity value of around $2.7 billion (€2.4 billion) based on Wednesday's closing price of Sorin and Cyberonics shares.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (Montreal, Quebec) has agreed to shell out nearly $14.5 billion to acquire Salix Pharmaceuticals (Raleigh, North Carolina). Salix makes medical devices as well as pharmaceutical products for the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.

Five-year results from a clinical study evaluating the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in adult epilepsy patients supports the use of DBS for treatment-resistant (refractory) epilepsy.

Heart disease patients in the U.S. who need a stent to open clogged arteries but cannot or will not be compliant with the long-term dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT) required after receiving a drug-eluting stent may soon have an option that is somewhat of a hybrid between a bare-metal and drug-eluting stent.

Ebola may not be making as many headlines as it did several months ago, but the outbreak in West Africa continues to be a problem that needs new solutions. To that end, a consortium led by Scripps Translational Science Institute has been formed to develop a program, using digital health technology, to improve health outcomes for Ebola patients, increase the safety of health care workers and reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others.