Edwards Lifesciences Enters Into Agreement to Acquire CASMED
Irvine, Calif. and Branford, Conn., Feb. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW), the global leader in patient-focused innovations for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring, today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire CAS Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CASM) (CASMED), a medical technology company dedicated to non-invasive monitoring of tissue oxygenation in the brain.
Edwards will acquire CASMED in an all-cash transaction for $2.45 per share of Common Stock, or an equity value of approximately $100 million.
"Cerebral oximetry technology provides an important indicator of oxygen levels in the brain, which can enhance clinician decision-making," said Katie Szyman, Edwards' corporate vice president, critical care. "We believe the incorporation of CASMED's FORE-SIGHT technology into Edwards' leading hemodynamic monitoring platform, along with Edwards' predictive analytics capability, will strengthen Edwards' leadership in smart monitoring technologies by providing physicians with a more comprehensive status of their surgical and critically ill patients."
Edwards has a pending 510(k) clearance in the United States for a smart cable and software module, which enables compatibility between CASMED's FORE-SIGHT sensor and the HemoSphere advanced hemodynamic monitoring platform. This technology was developed as a result of a collaboration between Edwards and CASMED, and received a CE Mark in Europe.
"We are pleased with this opportunity to bring together CASMED's expertise in brain and tissue oxygenation monitoring with Edwards' long history of leadership in hemodynamic monitoring," said Thomas M. Patton, president and CEO of CASMED. "We are confident that the combination of these technologies will result in an important measurement tool for physicians that can empower them to improve care."
As a condition to the closing of the transaction, each holder of CASMED's Series A Convertible Preferred Stock or Series A Exchangeable Preferred Stock will agree to convert such stock into shares of CASMED's Common Stock, and upon the closing, those holders will be entitled to receive the transaction consideration as holders of Common Stock. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019 and is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and approval by CASMED's stockholders.
XMS Capital Partners is serving as financial advisor to Edwards and Pepper Hamilton LLP is serving as Edwards' legal advisor. William Blair & Company L.L.C. is serving as financial advisor to CASMED and Wiggin and Dana LLP is serving as CASMED's legal advisor.
About Edwards Lifesciences
Edwards Lifesciences, based in Irvine, Calif., is the global leader in patient-focused medical innovations for structural heart disease, as well as critical care and surgical monitoring. Driven by a passion to help patients, the company collaborates with the world's leading clinicians and researchers to address unmet healthcare needs, working to improve patient outcomes and enhance lives. For more information, visit www.Edwards.com and follow us on Twitter @EdwardsLifesci.
About CASMED
CASMED's vision is: "That no patient is harmed by undetected tissue hypoxia." The FORE-SIGHT Cerebral Oximeters provide a highly accurate, non-invasive measurement of tissue oxygenation in the brain. Direct monitoring of tissue oxygenation can provide clinicians with a superior and powerful tool to alert them to otherwise unrecognized and dangerous hypoxia, or low levels of oxygen, in the brain and other tissue, thereby empowering them to improve patient care. For further information regarding CASMED, visit the company's website at www.casmed.com.
Edwards, Edwards Lifesciences, the stylized E logo and HemoSphere are trademarks of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Contact:
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
Media, Sarah Huoh, +1-949-250-5070
Investors, David K. Erickson, +1-949-250-6826
