In Vivo presents another installment of our quarterly review of dealmaking--in this case November 2000-January 2001. Our data comes from Windhover's Strategic Transactions Database. We include medical device financings by industry segment and by deal type; medical device M&A; diagnostic financings and alliances by product category; pharma and biotech alliances by technology segment; pharma and biotech alliances by deal type, and pharma and biotech financings by market segment and therapeutic category.

Visible Genetics is on track to become the first company to offer a low-cost, rapid, easy-to-use system for clinical diagnostic genotyping using DNA sequencing, starting with HIV drug resistance testing. The company anticipates FDA approval by the end of the year for its HIV GeneKit. Not only does it want to secure a first-mover advantage in HIV resistance testing, but by giving away its DNA sequencer, VGI intends to use this footprint to introduce HCV, HBV and, potentially, cancer diagnostics. And while its sequencing system is not as high throughput as those used in central reference labs, VGI expects to penetrate the market by establishing the capability for decentralized clinical diagnostic technology.ts management team in the past year. Its statements on FDA approval have been as aggressive as its corporate moves.

Three companies, SangStat Medical Corp., Chronimed Inc., and Bergen Brunswig Corp., are bringing their specialty pharmacy businesses online. SangStat's offering, TransplantRx.com, will probably be spun-off into a separate business.