China's medtech sector hot spot for M&A: report

BEIJING - China's medical technology sector has attracted numerous investors with a growing value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), according to a recent report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

The total number of medtech M&As in 2015 turned out to be almost three times that posted in 2013, with the aggregate value of deals rising to $4 billion in 2015 from $1.5 billion in 2013.

These M&As featured more private equity and venture capital and more cross-industry acquisitions. High-value consumables and in-vitro diagnosis sub-sectors have become focal points of domestic deals.

Valuations of Chinese medtech companies are relatively high due to rising interest in the medtech market, relatively few good targets for acquisition, and a comparatively rosy outlook for business growth and the profitability of Chinese companies, the report added.

"For multinationals, acquisition of Chinese players can help them enter into the medium and low-end product segments, aside from their existing high-end product segments, and also entitle them to certain favorable policies targeting Chinese companies," according to Ying Luo, a BCG partner who leads BCG Greater China's medtech practice.

Multinationals should consider keeping the acquired companies as standalones, rather than immediate full-scale integration, noted John Wong, chairman of BCG Greater China.