2019 was all about execution for smaller device makers
New products and strategic execution buoyed mid and small-cap medtechs, while safety worries took down one former high-flier.
Corporate and regulatory developments over the Christmas period
On the corporate front Astellas continued to buy, while Qiagen decided that it was not, after all, up for sale.
Antitrust watchdog plunges Illumina’s megamerger into darkness
Even if the sequencing giant doesn't suffer in the short term from the death of its bid for Pacbio, long-read tech is nipping at its heels.
Who will buy Qiagen?
The Dutch group is ripe for a takeover, and while Thermo Fisher has to be the likeliest candidate for acquirer there are a number of potentially interested parties.
Diagnostics specialists win the US device approval race
The speediest device developer is Roche, but a look at companies’ strategies shows the perils of relying on bought-in tech.
Storm-tossed Qiagen plots a course to higher growth
A shift to higher-growth systems and a tie-up with Illumina are sensible moves, but will take time to pay off.
De novo device clearances fall out of fashion
The overall rate of device approvals in 2019 is holding steady on last year – but the types of approvals are different.
Zolgensma heads up spate of US approvals
The US FDA granted seven approvals in two days last week, including an eagerly awaited thumbs-up for Novartis’s gene therapy Zolgensma.
Roche leaves Abbott in the dust when it comes to US approval times
The Swiss group has succeeded with its internally developed diagnostics, but buying in innovation has served Becton Dickinson well.
