As it moves to complete the purchase of Merck & Co's consumer healthcare division, Bayer has sold its interventional device business to Boston Scientific for $415 million in cash.

The unit, which had sales of $120 million in 2013, includes systems used in cardiology, radiology and peripheral vascular procedures, as well as for  thrombectomies and atherectomies.

Olivier Brandicourt, head of Bayer HealthCare (pictured), said that following the divestment, the company's medical care division "can concentrate on innovation and growth in radiology and diabetes care where we already have a strong presence". The Leverkusen-headquartered group claims to be the global leader in contrast-enhanced diagnostic imaging equipment, contrast agents and informatics for total dose management and is also "a technological leader in blood glucose monitoring systems, lancing devices and diabetes management software".

The cash will come in useful as Bayer focuses on its $14.2 billion acquisition of the Merck unit, pushing it to the global number two position in over-the-counter products.

Also this week, in "a further step towards increased transparency while maintaining patient privacy, Bayer announced that it will start sharing data from its clinical studies through the internet portal www.clinicalstudydatarequest.com. From now on, researchers whose proposals have been approved by an independent scientific review panel can request anonymised patient-level data from Bayer sponsored trials.