Johnson & Johnson medical-device unit Ethicon agreed to buy NeuWave Medical Inc.
NeuWave developed a system that eliminates soft-tissue lesions with microwave energy and is used by cancer patients.
Ethicon said in a statement that “we continue to work to push the boundaries of access and treatment for patients for whom traditional surgery may not be an option today.”
Last May, Madison, Wis.-based NeuWave said it had raised $25 million in Series C financing. New investor Versant Ventures led the round, joined by returning backers H.I.G. BioVentures, Venture Investors and others.
Ethicon and the life-sciences division of Google Inc. formed a partnership last year to develop robots to assist surgeons. In December, Johnson & Johnson said Scott Huennekens will serve as chief executive of an independent company called Verb Surgical Inc. that emerged from the collaboration.
Ethicon expects to complete the NeuWave deal during the second quarter.
By Josh Beckerman
A monkeypox outbreak is emerging in the U.S. and Europe, and at least one country is amping up countermeasure preparedness. Bavarian Nordic has secured a contract with an unnamed European country to supply its smallpox vaccine, called Imvanex in Europe, in response to the emergence of monkeypox cases, the Danish company said Thursday.
Moderna’s recent chief financial officer debacle—in which Jorge Gomez departed on his second day on the job—raised questions about the company’s hiring process given its rush to global biopharma prominence. The most obvious one: How was it possible for Gomez to be hired when he was under investigation by his previous employer, Dentsply Sirona of Charlotte, N.C.
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