Getinge says it plans to pay about $477m for organ transport and services company Paragonix Technologies in an effort to “redefine the market standard in transplantation.”

Public Company Edition: Several special purpose acquisition corporations have emerged, including various health care- and life science-focused SPACs. Also, Alvotech entered into a $965m refinancing agreement and Avidity grossed $461m in a follow-on offering, among other updates.

Private Company Edition: First quarter data again confirm fewer but larger VC rounds in Q1. Big Q2 rounds include a $132.5m series C round for Endeavor Biomedicines, a $103m series A round for Reunion Neuroscience and Enlaza’s $100m series A.

The Federal Trade Commission broke new ground last year in its opposition to M&A transactions and challenge of Orange Book patent listings. The biopharma community is waiting to see if deals will face similar hurdles in 2024 and whether there will be legal battles if manufacturers of drug-device combination products decline to delist their patents. Researchers advocate that the FTC extend its inquiry to device patents on GLP-1 receptor agonists, including Wegovy and Ozempic.