n Dec. 15, 2004: New Brunswick, N.J.-based J&J announces a deal valued at $25.4 billion that would pay Guidant stockholders $76 a share.
n July 18: Guidant warns doctors that nine pacemaker models made between 1997 and 2000 may need to be replaced.
n July 22: Guidant says a programming change it had recommended to fix flaws in some defibrillators actually increased the chances of malfunctions in three models.
n Aug. 1: The FDA approves the relaunch of Guidant’s top-selling defibrillator, the Contak Renewal 3.
n Sept. 29: Citing sources it did not name, The New York Times reports the FDA has started a criminal investigation of Guidant.
n Oct. 18: J&J’s chief financial officer says the company is considering alternatives to its planned acquisition of Guidant.
n Oct. 25: U.S. attorney’s offices in Boston and Minneapolis issue subpoenas to Guidant and two other medical device manufacturers.
n Nov. 3: New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sues Guidant for fraud, saying the company concealed information about a design flaw in a defibrillator.
n Nov. 7: Guidant sues J&J to force the company to complete the deal.
– Nov. 15: J&J announces a revised agreement to acquire Guidant for $21.5 billion in cash and stock.
– Dec. 5: Boston Scientific Corp. announces a cash-and-stock offer of $25 billion for Guidant.
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