Totals for aggregate deals and in the M&A, alliance and divestment categories were similar among the 10 busiest deal makers from 2020 to 2021, but COVID-19 may have driven a more hectic deal-making pace overall in 2020.

Device funding increased 123% to $1.6 billion in Q2, and M&A activity was overshadowed by Medtronic’s massive $47 billion acquisition of Covidien. Diagnostics fundraising dropped slightly to $522 million, and there were multiple takeovers of life sciences companies.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Venture Funding column provides a comprehensive monthly review of emerging life science companies that have received VC funding, including companies within the In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals sectors. This month’s column covers deals announced June through August 2014.