Sidney Wolfe’s stint as permanent member of the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee ended May 31; his final meeting was the May 23 review of Xarelto for ACS. That gave him a second chance to vote against the product. A look back at Wolfe’s tenure shows he was a sure “no” vote when he sat on a panel—but that his service can hardly be construed as having damaged the industry.

The dealmaking column is a survey of recent transactions, including strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions, and financings, in the life sciences industries. Deals are listed by the following industry sectors: in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and research/analytical instrumentation and reagents. All transactions are excerpted from Elsevier's Strategic Transactions.

A roundup of recent medtech strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions and financings.

The founders of NormOxys are working to commercialize molecules similar to those that give migratory birds the fortitude to fly thousands of miles. When the compound inositol pentaphosphate binds to the protein hemoglobin, its presence helps release up to three of the four oxygen molecules that hemoglobin picks up in the lungs and carries out to the body. NormOxys is betting that its lead candidate can help elevate oxygen levels in human tissues that lack it, and so become a treatment for a range of disorders, from heart failure to diabetic retinopathy, traumatic blood loss, and even cancer.