Are medtech regulators and authorities in wider Europe – including Russia – setting market access barriers too high, risking investment in innovation and potentially denying patients access to modern care? European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association (EDMA) representative Christian Parry fears so, in this second half of our industry update from the 2015 European MedTech Forum.

There is a need for assays to help guide therapy with the growing number of anticoagulant drugs on the market, but without clearer FDA guidelines development will be a challenge, companies and labs tell the agency.

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, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, 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 Q1 2010 review of medical device and in vitro diagnostics/research dealmaking: With most of the funding in the form of venture rounds, medical device financing totaled $548 million in the second quarter, a 10% drop from Q1. Device acquisitions picked up, with 18 transactions completed for an aggregate $4.4 billion. Including GenMark's IPO, the first done in the sector since November 2007, in vitro diagnostic/research financing more than doubled Q1's dollar volume, reaching $364 million in the second quarter. The four IVD/Research acquisitions done in Q2 totalled $226 million.