Natus Medical eyes Micromed buyout to build brain monitoring portfolio

After being taken private earlier this year, the neurology-focused devicemaker Natus Medical is taking steps to expand, with plans to acquire Micromed.

The two companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal in their announcement, with the transaction slated to close early next year. The goal is to provide a single portfolio of neurodiagnostic and neuromonitoring products.

Micromed’s catalog spans a range of brain EEG devices and other sensors, including monitors designed for intensive care units and other clinical research settings. Headquartered in Italy, the 40-year-old company counts more than 9,000 systems placed internationally in hospitals, sleep labs and research centers.

Natus, meanwhile, has focused on diagnostic hardware—such as pediatric retinal imaging and infant hearing screening—as well as solutions for hearing aid fitting and monitoring intracranial pressure.

The Wisconsin-based Natus was itself acquired by the private equity firm ArchiMed Group this past July, with a $1.2 billion deal luring it away from the public markets 21 years after it made its Nasdaq debut in 2001.

According to a statement from Natus President Austin Noll, the company’s “new Natus Neuro Team will work closely with Micromed management to build upon the Micromed momentum in the European epilepsy market and the emerging presence of Moberg in the ICU.”

Micromed’s Moberg platform includes a central nervous system monitor and display, which records data from dozens of bedside ICU devices, as well as remote analysis software. The company’s other products include the Brain Quick and Neurowerk EEG hardware.