Med techs prune, purchase to rebalance product portfolios
Four optimization trends dominated the med-tech industry in 2025. Growth-driven acquisitions propelled major players into hot markets, while strategic realignments at several large companies prompted notable exits as well as a few tuck-in deals. Spin-offs continued their mixed performance, with several companies on track for significant splits and others changing plans. Private equity entered — and exited — with leveraged buy outs, and a record-setting cash out.

Robotic-assisted surgical systems gained momentum in 2025
In 2025, the momentum behind robotic-assisted surgical systems continued to accelerate on the back of increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures. In many parts of the world, these technologies are reshaping surgical procedures by improving precision and efficiency through high resolution imaging, AI and refined instrument control. This is resulting in fewer complications, faster recovery and improved patient outcomes.

Med techs prune, purchase to rebalance product portfolios
Four optimization trends dominated the med-tech industry in 2025. Growth-driven acquisitions propelled major players into hot markets, while strategic realignments at several large companies prompted notable exits as well as a few tuck-in deals. Spin-offs continued their mixed performance, with several companies on track for significant splits and others changing plans. Private equity entered — and exited — with leveraged buy outs, and a record-setting cash out.
Robotic-assisted surgical systems gained momentum in 2025
In 2025, the momentum behind robotic-assisted surgical systems continued to accelerate on the back of increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures. In many parts of the world, these technologies are reshaping surgical procedures by improving precision and efficiency through high resolution imaging, AI and refined instrument control. This is resulting in fewer complications, faster recovery and improved patient outcomes.
Science in 2025: the best of the rest
A review of 2025's noteworthy advances in medical research, including GLP-1 receptor agonists as anti-aging drugs, tumor-agnostic therapies and xenotransplants.
LINC01116 has prognostic value in lung cancer, study shows
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as potential markers of disease, since they associate with proteins that regulate gene expression, translation or stability, among others, and where hypoxia might play a role in this scenario. In recently published work, researchers analyzed clinical data from patients with lung adenocarcinoma to identify hypoxia-modulated lncRNAs in vivo and in vitro, and which could correlate with prognosis.
Holiday notice
BioWorld's offices were closed Thursday, Jan. 1. No issue was published.
Today's news in brief
BioWorld MedTech briefs for Jan. 2, 2026.

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Digital health

Crescom wins FDA clearance for bone analysis
Regulatory
Crescom Co. Ltd., an AI musculoskeletal imaging company, gained U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance Dec. 24 for MediAI-BA, its AI-powered pediatric and adolescent bone age analysis software. Classified as a class II medical device, MediAI-BA evaluates bone age and suggests predicted adult height based on...
Acryl raises $28M IPO, aiming to bridge medical divide with AI
Financings
Acryl Inc. debuted on South Korea’s Kosdaq Dec. 16, raising ₩42.12 billion ($28.5 million) in an IPO. Shares (KOSDAQ:0007C0) closed at ₩67,000 on the first day, up 243.5% from its offering price, before closing 30% down on Dec. 17 at ₩47,500. Seoul, South Korea-based Acryl sold 2.16 million shares...
Cha Group to Acquire Majority Stake in Kakao Healthcare
Deals and M&A
Kakao Healthcare Corp. plans to secure ₩100 billion (US$68 million) through two investment deals with Cha Biomedical Group and outside investors by early next year. The transactions, expected to close by the first quarter of 2026, will make Cha the controlling shareholder of Kakao Healthcare with a...
Minze, Medtronic partner on overactive bladder care in EMEA
Urology
Minze Health NV signed a three-year agreement with Medtronic plc to bring its Minze Diary Pod, an app-controlled automated urine collection device, to markets across the EMEA region. The partnership aims to enhance the support services available for patients with overactive bladder receiving sacral...

Financings

Surgical robotic maker Shenzhen Edge announces $154M HKEX IPO
Gastrointestinal
Surgical robotics maker Shenzhen Edge Medical Co. Ltd. reported its initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to raise HKD$1.19 billion (US$154 million) to advance its pipeline of surgical robotic systems and expand its geographic footprint to markets outside China.

Newco news

Bayosthiti AI to build India-specific RNA sequencing ecosystem
Cancer
Bayosthiti AI Pvt Ltd. aims to make RNA sequencing and AI-based preventive health care affordable and accessible for the Indian market, leveraging intellectual property from its parent company, Biostate AI Inc.

Nephrodite's Holly renal replacement named breakthrough device
Urology
Nephrodite Inc.'s Holly, an implantable, continuous renal replacement system, received U.S. FDA breakthrough device designation as a novel and potentially life-changing treatment for end-stage kidney disease. The system is designed to enable continuous blood filtration and allow patients freedom to...
Levron emerges with cardio-respiratory physiology assist tech
Clinical
Levron Medical Ltd. recently exited stealth mode to advance its cardio-respiratory physiology assist technology, designed to treat heart failure by synchronizing the heart and lungs. The approach harnesses the natural ‘respiratory pump’ to assist cardiac function and create what the company claims...

Deals and M&A

2025 med tech mergers and acquisitions
Merger
The biggest mergers and acquisitions in med tech in 2025.
Advanced Biomed sells Hong Kong subsidiary for $23k
Diagnostics
Advanced Biomed Inc. reported Dec. 30 the sale of its wholly owned Hong Kong subsidiary, Advanced Biomed (HK) Ltd., and related intellectual property to buyer Wei Ha Hui for $23,000.
In 2025, autoimmune work notches scientific, economic successes
Immune
In October, the Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Shimon Sakaguchi, Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell for their discoveries in the field of autoimmunity. As has become typical for the scientific Nobel Prizes, the award-winning research is by now several decades...
November lifts med-tech deal value to $780M amid uneven 2025
Med-tech M&A value in 2025 totaled about $38.99 billion through November, reflecting a clear slowdown from 2024’s $57.92 billion and well below the peak years of 2021 and 2022, when 11-month totals exceeded $119 billion and $132 billion, respectively. Activity this year has been uneven, with a...
Medline raises $6.3B in fourth med-tech IPO of December
IPO
Medline Inc. returned to the public markets with a blockbuster IPO of $6.26 billion, reportedly this year’s largest IPO globally. The upsized offering of more than 216 million shares at $29 per share will allow the medical supply giant to devote the entirety of the proceeds from its initially...

Europe

EU scrambled in 2025 to overcome problems with AI Act, device regs
Regulatory
The year 2025 will go down in med-tech history as remarkable for a number of things, but manufacturers doing business in the EU might be forgiven for thinking that it was a year for correction of self-inflicted wounds, even if those corrections won’t arrive in full form until 2026.

Asia-Pacific

Radiopharm Theranostics’ RAD-101 meets brain metastases endpoints
Clinical
Radiopharm Theranostics Ltd.’s radiotracer RAD-101 met the primary endpoint in 92% of patients in the phase IIb imaging trial in brain metastases, according to interim results. To date, 11 of the 12 patients treated with RAD-101 (F18-Pivalate) achieved concordance with MRI (the primary endpoint) as...

73 Chinese biotech, med-tech companies file for HK IPOs in 2025
Analysis and data insight
Seventy-three pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies from mainland China filed for IPOs in Hong Kong this year, a review by BioWorld found. In the second half of 2025, 43 new securities reports were filed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, increasing from the 30 applications in...
Epiminder’s AU$125M IPO sets stage for epilepsy breakthrough
Financings
Epiminder Ltd. raised AU$125 million (US$82.99 million) in its initial public offering on the Australian Securities Exchange to commercialize its Minder system, a long-term ambulatory electroencephalography monitoring device for epilepsy.

Clinical

Neuropace shows 77% reduction in seizures
Neurology/psychiatric
People with drug-resistant epilepsy have had few other options, but Neuropace Inc. appears on target to provide an alternative. The Nautilus trial of its responsive neurostimulation system for individuals with drug-resistant idiopathic generalized...
Cosmo data positive for first new hair-loss approach in decades
Dermatologic
Shares of Cosmo Pharmaceuticals NV rose sharply on Dec. 3 following top-line pivotal phase III data showing a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in male androgenetic alopecia patients receiving clascoterone 5%, the...
Brainomix 360 Stroke increases endovascular thrombectomy rates
Artificial intelligence
Brainomix Ltd. reported the publication of a prospective real-world study demonstrating that its AI imaging platform, Brainomix 360 Stroke, significantly increased rates of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) treatment, a minimally invasive surgical...
Fractyl procedure sustains weight loss after GLP-1s
Diabetes
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists clearly help patients shed pounds, but many regain all - or more - of the weight once they discontinue the medications. Fractyl Health Inc. could offer an enduring solution with its Revita...
Xeltis secures $55M for vascular access conduit
Cardiovascular
Xeltis BV secured €47.5 million in financing to help bring Axess, its vascular access conduit for hemodialysis, to the market. The funds include a venture debt package of up to €37.5 million from the European Investment Bank and €10 million from...
Edwards shows benefits of early TAVR in asymptomatic severe AS
Cardiovascular
Edwards Lifesciences Corp. released data from a health economics study done across nine countries in Europe which showed that early transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis can deliver significant...

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