Edwards has temporarily paused the FORTIS clinical program evaluating a new transcatheter mitral valve to resolve valve thrombosis issues that emerged in the first 20 patients.

The US heart valve treatments market will reach $1.7 billion by 2019, driven by advances in percutaneous heart valve repair and replacement products and a growing number of competitors entering this space. With US sales of transcatheter aortic valve replacement systems set to almost triple in the next several years, the combined US market for products to treat heart valve disorders is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.7%.

The yet-to-be-named combined company is predicting big opportunities, particularly, heart failure, sleep apnea and cardiac surgery.

Device companies kicked off 2013 by raising $1.1 billion via 45 transactions; the only device M&A transaction in Q1 to exceed the billion-dollar mark was Cardinal Health Inc.’s $2.07 billion acquisition of AssuraMed. Diagnostics firms began 2013 by raising a total of $286 million in the opening quarter, a 46% improvement over Q4 2012’s tally.