Ethicon Inc. announced on February 17 that it reached an agreement to acquire Torax Medical, Inc. According to its website, Torax Medical is a privately held medical device company developing a minimally invasive surgical treatment for GERD acid reflux known as the LINX system. The website indicates that the LINX system supports the body’s barrier between the stomach and esophagus with a band of interlinked titanium beads. The beads are said to have a magnetic core, and the magnetic attraction between the beads helps close the division between the stomach and esophagus after swallowing.
Torax Medical’s Artistic Depiction of the LINX System (from: http://www.linxforlife.com/about-linx)
Ethicon stated in its announcement that the transaction would “enable Ethicon to offer patients a safe and effective alternative to the anatomy-altering laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication surgical procedure.”
The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. A previous press release noted that Torax Medical completed a $25 million Series E financing round in August 2016, led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC and existing investors including Sanderling Ventures, Thomas McNerney & Partners, Accuitive Medical Ventures, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, Piper Jaffray Companies, and Mayo Clinic Ventures.
Ethicon is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, and has headquarters in Somerville, NJ, and Cincinnati, OH.
