The second half of summer is usually a slow time for news about cardiac technology innovations because there are not many major conferences. But there was still plenty of innovation news coming from both small and big cardiovascular device companies in July and August.

EQT and Goldman Sachs to pay $8.5bn in Parexel’s second private equity buyout in four years.

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 Windhover's Strategic Transactions database, providing comprehensive transaction coverage from 1991 to the present.

C. difficile is the number one cause of infectious diahrrea in the developed world. Long thought to be a nuisance, the infections are turning deadly, and a spate of outbreaks has occurred at hospitals in the US, Canada, and Europe. Biotechs are racing to develop new therapeutics to combat the killer bug.