Alcon AG agreed to acquire Staar Surgical Co. in a $1.5 billion cash transaction that would add Staar’s Evo implantable Collamer lenses (ICL) to treat myopia to the vision giant’s portfolio. Alcon will pay $28 per share, a 59% premium on Staar’s 90-day volume-weighted average price and a 51% premium on the Aug. 4 closing price of its shares (Nasdaq: STAA). Read More

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services adopted several significant policy changes in the Medicare inpatient final rule for fiscal 2026, which includes a larger rate bump for hospitals than seen in the draft. Read More

Olympus Corp.’s “active investment” in endoluminal robotics has materialized in a new joint venture med-tech called Swan Endosurgical Inc., with Revival Healthcare Capital LLC. Read More

The U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated its guidance for the use of single-procedure insertion of scaffolds for knee cartilage repairs, specifying that only qualified surgeons should perform the procedure. Read More

New hires and promotions in the med-tech industry, including: Astrin Biosciences, Avanos Medical, Dxcover, Electrocore, Instylla, Pelvital. Read More

Med-tech firms raising money in public or private financings, including: Ispecimen, Orchestra Biomed, Volitionrx. Read More

Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Caris Life Sciences. Read More

Med-tech happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Astrazeneca, Concept Medical, Coralis Health, Essco, Exchange Listing, Fresnius, Linusbio, Microbot Medical, Neopharma, Quest, Sophia Genetics, Spinal Elements, Transcat, Walsh Engineering. Read More

Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: BMI Organbank, Body Vision Medical. Read More