A $10.9 billion bid by a consortium of private equity investors to buy Biomet raises questions about whether this is the first of many such deals or an outlier.

The dealmaking column is a survey of recent transactions, including strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions, and financings, in the life sciences industries. Deals are listed by the following industry sectors: in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and research/analytical instrumentation and reagents. All transactions are excerpted from Windhover's Strategic Transactions database, providing comprehensive transaction coverage from 1991 to the present.

Despite significant growth over the past several years, Encore Medical found it difficult to win over investors. So it has turned to private equity firm Blackstone Group to take it private, hoping that greater financial freedom will enable it to continue its aggressive growth.

Biowave hopes to ease the suffering of those with chronic pain with non-invasive and minimally invasive neuromodulation technology. Its devices--one designed for in-hospital use, one for home use--deliver a penetrating focused electrical field into deep tissue to block pain at its source.