Merck to Acquire Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. (Whitehouse Station, NJ), and Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Raleigh, NC), announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Merck will acquire Inspire, a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing ophthalmic products.
Under the terms of the agreement, Merck, through a subsidiary, will commence a tender offer for all outstanding common stock of Inspire at a price of $5 per share in cash, a 26% premium to the closing price of Inspire's common stock on April 4, 2011, according to a news release. The transaction has a total cash value of approximately $430 million. The boards of directors of both companies have unanimously approved the transaction, and Inspire's board recommended that the company's shareholders tender their shares pursuant to the tender offer. In addition, Warburg Pincus Private Equity IX, LP, which owns approximately 28% of the outstanding shares of Inspire, has agreed to tender all of its shares into the offer.
Haag-Streit Introduces New LED Conversion Kits for Slit Lamps
Haag-Streit, USA (Mason, OH), has introduced conversion kits that bring LED (lightemitting diode) illumination to its BM 900 and BQ 900 slit lamps. LED bulbs last approximately 35,000 hours and do not emit radiation or produce any heat, which gives patients a more comfortable examination, according to a news release.
The new kits reportedly produce a light spectrum that illuminates minute details in the anterior chamber, cornea, and lens. The improved view is also designed to assist with depth perception, whether the viewer is evaluating the depth of a foreign object in the eye or analyzing anterior chamber depth. Retrofitted slit lamps deliver homogenous and bright lighting. The kits also provide background illumination for imaging-ready slit lamps and eliminate the need for additional external light sources or long fiber optics. Conversion kits are available for slit-lamp models with a single control joystick.
For more information, visit www.haag-streit-usa.com.
Keeler Introduces New Desktop Tonometer
Keeler Instruments (Broomall, PA) introduced the Pulsair Desktop tonometer, designed with the same technology as the company's handheld Pulsair intelliPuff tonometer. The Pulsair Desktop's X/Y mechanism reportedly gives the user confidence and control during the alignment process. Its clear user controls and a color video alignment screen with LED illumination are simple to use for both new and experienced users, according to the company. The features include optical and sensor technology for positional detection and puff-triggering authorization.
Electronic technology is designed to evaluate every reading for a tight range, while software analyzes the readings and reportedly eliminates any anomalies from the final displayed results. Once sufficiently reliable readings have been taken, an audible signal alerts the user.
For more information, visit keelerusa.com.
NovaVision Introduces Portable Head Mounted Perimetry Wireless Diagnostic Device
NovaVision (Boca Raton, FL) introduced Head Mounted Perimetry (HMPTM)—a portable, wireless device to aid the professional assessment and early detection of glaucoma, amblyopia, and visual field deficits. The HMPTM features an intuitive touch screen user interface, two speed settings, and a diamondshaped screening grid. The device uses a suprathreshold three-zone strategy to produce a 60° X 44° field, which generates a report that allows physicians to evaluate whether patients have any suspicious areas requiring further evaluation, according to a company news release. Additionally, the device measures the visual field in increments of 4° as opposed to 6°, which reportedly allows physicians to detect disease states earlier than currently marketed screening tools.
Glaukos Named to The Wall Street Journal's "The Next Big Thing" List
Glaukos (Laguna Hills, CA) has been named to The Wall Street Journal's (WSJ) The Next Big Thing list. The goal of the list is to identify and rank venture-backed companies across all industries that have the capital, executive experience, and investor know-how to succeed, according to a WSJ news release. Glaukos was selected from a pool of more than 5,000 companies and ranked 19th based on proprietary data from Dow Jones VentureSource and input from Dow Jones VentureWire's reporters and editors.
The Next Big Thing is an annual ranking published by the WSJ. The ranking was calculated by applying a set of four financial criteria: the track records of success for both a company's founders and management, track records for the investors on its board, the amount of capital raised in the last 3 years, and the percentage change in a company's valuation in the last year
