Medtech companies brought in $2.3 billion in financing in Q1 2017, a slight decrease from Q4 2016; device M&A deals totaled $5.8 billion, a sharp decline from the prior quarter, but there were some billion-dollar deals. Q1 diagnostics financings – totaling $1.2 billion (thanks to a $900 million Series B round by cancer diagnostics company Grail) – showed a significant increase over the preceding quarter, as did the Q1 M&As at $700 million versus the previous $87 million.

There is a need for assays to help guide therapy with the growing number of anticoagulant drugs on the market, but without clearer FDA guidelines development will be a challenge, companies and labs tell the agency.

Sysmex's break in the US with distribution partner Roche frees it to reap the rewards of building its own brand. It's betting that a best-of-breed strategy can help it double revenues by 2006 and increase margins. It's got a stellar reputation but it's in a tough market that doesn't leave much room for error.

DPC has successfully transformed itself from a reagent to a systems company and carved out a niche in immunoassay systems, but has it gone as far as it can on its own in a consolidating industry that favors breadth of product lines across lab segments?