CareFusion to purchase GE Healthcare’s Vital Signs division

CareFusion has agreed a deal to acquire Vital Signs, a leading manufacturer of single-patient-use consumables for respiratory care and anaesthesiology.

The company will pay current owner GE Healthcare $500 million (306.92 million pounds) in order to purchase Vital Signs, a takeover that will expand CareFusion's specialty disposables business by adding global scale and new products for anaesthesiology.

It will establish CareFusion as a leader in the market for respiratory and anaesthesia consumables, which is worth more than $3 billion, while also adding products for temperature management and patient monitoring consumables to its portfolio.

Kieran Gallahue, chairman and chief executive officer of CareFusion, said: "Together, CareFusion and Vital Signs have the research and development, manufacturing and go-to-market resources to drive innovation, invest for growth and better support customers in major geographic markets."

This comes after the firm also announced a licensing and distribution deal for Vancive Medical Technologies' BeneHold Chlorhexidine Gluconate antimicrobial adhesive technology in North America last month.