During the first quarter, medical device company mergers and acquisition totalled $10.2bn, while in vitro diagnostic firms and research tools players completed M&A activity that totaled $5bn.

The Precise PRO Rx US Carotid System was yanked from shelves because the device could separate during use.

Zentalis outlines promising antitumor activity associated with its WEE1 inhibitor, Phase II trials are planned for Pieris Pharmaceuticals’ fusion protein in HER2-positive cancers, while HPV-positive cancers are being targeted by Hookipa’s immunotherapeutics in arenavirus vectors, and Eli Lilly is planning early-stage clinical trials with its next-generation KRAS inhibitor.

Tempest goes public via a reverse merger with Millendo. Takeda inks its ninth deal of 2021, a discovery pact with BridGene around its chemoproteomics technology.