Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) is in preliminary talks to acquire Swiss medical device maker Synthes (SYST.VX) for a price which could be about $20 billion, a source familiar with the situation said on Saturday. A deal at that price would mark an 11 percent premium over Synthes' current market capitalization of about $18 billion. It would allow healthcare conglomerate J&J to further diversify its healthcare business. However, talks could still break down, said the source, who declined to be named because the talks are not public. The medical device sector has been consolidating as pharmaceutical companies look to diversify away from drugs going off patent. Other recent medical device deals include the $5.8 billion acquisition of Beckman Coulter by Danaher Corp (DHR.N), announced in February.
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