South Korea’s first approved gene therapy has been suspended from sale in the country, while recruitment in an ongoing US Phase III program has been temporarily halted, after findings that an active cell component may differ from the data submitted at the time of approval. While both manufacturer and regulator see no safety risk, results from an official Korean probe are due in mid-April.

A roundup of recent medtech mergers & acquisitions, strategic alliances, and financings.

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 Elsevier's Strategic Transactions database, providing comprehensive transaction coverage from 1991 to the present.

Highlights from the Q4 2007 review of medical device and in vitro diagnostics/research dealmaking: there was a boost in medical device acquisitions--with patient monitoring in particular, which accounted for about half the total of this period--capping off an impressive year in medtech M&A activity. Of note in the in vitro diagnostics/research space was glucose monitoring, which brought in 60% of the total GM segment's $160 million in financing for the entire year.