Wedel Germany 9/4/08; Eerbeek, The Netherlands 9/4/08—M.u.t. AG, a publicly held provider of lab automation, spectroscopy, aviation and fire detection systems, has acquired 51% of Avantes Holding BV, effective January 1, but just announced this month. Based in the Netherlands with 40 employees, Avantes provides fiber optic spectrometers and accessories for online analysis and is […]

St. Louis, MO and Mountain View, CA 9/9/08—Informatics company Tripos has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire publicly held Pharsight for approximately $57 million in cash. Pharsight shareholders will receive $5.50 per outstanding share of common stock, a 29% premium over the average 30-day closing price as of September 8. Pharsight offers software and […]

Equity investments in biotech companies fell 68% to $5.9 billion in the first half of 2008 compared to the first half of 2007, according to Recombinant Capital. The biggest decline was among public offerings, as only one biotech firm went public. Private offerings for public companies declined 76% to $2.8 billion, while offerings for private […]