The third quarter of 2017 ended on a high note for our Healthcare team as we closed the sale of Ambry Genetics to Konica Minolta in a deal valued at US$1 billion. This acquisition secures a leading position for Konica Minolta in precision medicine and introduces the world’s most comprehensive genetic diagnostics solutions to Japan, Europe and other markets. It also highlights the continued demand for high quality companies across the Healthcare industry.
Our team continues to see robust activity in nearly all sectors and is proud to be actively advising a select number of leading healthcare companies as they explore a range of strategic alternatives. At the center of all the buzz in healthcare is CVS’ $66 billion rumored takeover of health insurance provider Aetna, which has the potential to challenge the traditional competitive landscape and send tremors throughout the entire healthcare industry. Pharmacy giant CVS is said to be executing on a bold strategy to counteract Amazon’s expected entry into the retail pharmacy space by partnering up with one of the country’s largest health insurance providers, to lock up a steady stream of patients. While the effects of this contemplated transaction are unknown, it remains clear that silo-breaking healthcare M&A will be in play for the foreseeable future.
In this industry report, we highlight several transactions from the past few months that caught our attention, including Navicure’s merger with ZirMed to form a revenue cycle software powerhouse and Concentra’s merger with U.S. Healthworks to create the undisputed leader in urgent care and occupational medicine. We also touch on why we think there could be substantial investment imminent in areas such as gastroenterology, pain management and allergy management.