Chinese medical device firm Mindray plans 6.65 billion yuan deal to control APT Medical

CHINESE medical device company Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics said it planned a 6.65 billion yuan (S$1.2 billion) deal to gain control of APT Medical to expand in cardiovascular disease-related businesses.

A wholly owned unit of Mindray will buy a 21.12 per cent stake in APT Medical from current shareholders, including funds linked to venture investment firm Qiming Venture, for 6.65 billion yuan, Mindray said on Sunday (Jan 28).

The Mindray unit will become the controlling shareholder of APT Medical after the transaction, according to a Mindray filing to the Shenzhen stock exchange.

APT Medical’s main products include catheters for use in electrophysiology, an area that involves measuring the electrical system of heart for abnormalities, and sheaths for use in invasive treatments for blockage in peripheral blood vessels.

The 21.12 per cent stake purchase priced each APT Medical share at 471.12 yuan, a 30.67 per cent premium to APT Medical’s last closing price of 360.53 yuan on Jan 26.

Shares in Mindray fell 3.27 per cent to 275.02 yuan on Monday, while APT Medical’s price jumped as much as 16.77 per cent to 421 yuan before narrowing to a 6.5 per cent gain.

Mindray said the deal is pending approval from China’s anti-monopoly watchdog.

It also involves the Mindray unit paying 1.3 million yuan for a 0.12 per cent general partner interest in investment fund Zhuhai Tongsheng, which holds a 3.49 per cent stake in APT Medical, with Mindray to hold a 99.88 per cent limited partner interest in Zhuhai Tongsheng.

Combining all parts of the deal, the transaction values APT Medical at 30.2 billion yuan, a 25 per cent premium to the Jan 26 closing price, according to a separate Mindray filing published on Sunday that did not provide a detailed calculation.

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APT Medical, whose overseas business only contributed to 11 per cent of its 2022 total revenue, is hoping this deal will help it tap into the overseas sales network of Mindray, which has more than 50 subsidiaries outside of China, according to the filing.

The broader market for medical devices in electrophysiology and blood vessel interventional treatments in China is still dominated by foreign rivals such as Johnson & Johnson and Abbott Laboratories, APT Medical said in its 2023 half-year report in August.

Mindray does not currently have in-house products in the specific areas that APT Medical specialises, though it does have some products that can be used to support the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases more broadly.

Mindray’s major acquisitions in recent years include a 545 million euros (S$793 million) deal for Finland-based HyTest Invest Oy announced in 2021. REUTERS