Few big bangs in a quiet year for medtech mergers

2022 was always going to have trouble following a bonanza 2021 for medtech mergers and acquisitions. In the event, last year turned out to be the most disappointing in recent memory, at least in terms of the numbers of deals closed.

On the plus side, the total spent on buyouts was relatively healthy, and in fact surpassed that seen in three of the past 10 years. However, this was largely down to Johnson & Johnson’s $16.6bn takeover of Abiomed, which accounted for a whopping 42% of M&A spend. Without this transaction, 2022 would have looked very lacklustre indeed.