Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Dealmaking column is a survey of recent health care transactions listed by relevant industry segment – In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals – and then categorized by type – Acquisition, Alliance, or Financing. This month’s column covers deals announced in March 2017.

Q3 medtech financing doubled in dollar volume to $3 billion, with debt offerings again representing the majority of the aggregate; acquisitions totaled $5.3 billion, mainly due to Johnson & Johnson’s $4.3 billion buy of Abbott Medical Optics. Diagnostics financings, which brought in $85 million, continued to decline, but at $5 billion, acquisitions showed a slight increase over the previous quarter, with Danaher’s takeover of Cepheid accounting for most of the M&A volume.

Pfizer signed multiple billion-dollar deals, including buying AstraZeneca's anti-infectives portfolio for $1.6 billion and acquiring Medivation – and the blockbuster cancer drug Xtandi – for $14 billion. Follow-on public offerings accounted for 52% of both biopharma and device financing.

Recent executive-level company changes and promotions in the biopharma, medical device and diagnostics industries.