Abbott Breaks into Lucrative Cancer Screening Market with $21 Billion Exact Sciences Purchase

Core Insights - Abbott Laboratories has agreed to acquire Exact Sciences for $21 billion, marking a significant move in the healthcare sector focused on cancer screening [1][7] - The acquisition is aimed at expanding Abbott's diagnostics business, which has seen growth during the pandemic due to increased demand for testing [3][4] - Exact Sciences reported a record $851 million in third-quarter revenue, highlighting the potential of the cancer screening market, which Abbott estimates to be worth $60 billion in the U.S. [3][4] Company Overview - Abbott Laboratories, founded in the 1880s, is a multinational healthcare company with $42 billion in sales last year, primarily from medical devices [2] - The company has a smaller diagnostics division that it aims to expand, particularly in the cancer screening segment [3] Market Context - The healthcare sector has experienced a surge in mergers and acquisitions, with Abbott's deal being the largest since Pfizer's acquisition of Seagen for $43 billion in 2023 [5][7] - Exact Sciences shareholders will receive $105 per share, representing a 50% premium from the closing price before the acquisition news [7]