Collaboration with fundraising Tokyo-based venture builds mid-sized firm's interest in cell-based therapies in a highly supportive regulatory environment.

Device financing rose slightly to $934 million in Q1, while acquisition value was down to just over $4 billion. Diagnostics fundraising dropped significantly to $597 million; M&A activity was dominated by NGS and Roche's transaction with Foundation Medicine.

AstraZeneca took on a large respiratory portfolio through a $700 million deal with Actavis; Pfizer improved biosimilar capabilities through its $17 billion takeover of Hospira. Follow-on public offerings dominated biopharma and device financing.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Medical Device Deals Update column is a survey of recent medtech M&A, alliance, and financing activity. This month’s column covers deals announced February-March 2015.