By Breakingviews
Less than a year after becoming Chief Executive, Namal Nawana laments that sales of most of Smith & Nephew's (SNN) products are growing more slowly than their respective markets. A multibillion-dollar acquisition in a totally new area, like the potential takeover of spinal surgery group NuVasive, looks like a risky solution.
It's easy to see why Nawana is looking for new ideas. Sales at London-listed Smith & Nephew, which makes knee-replacement and other medical devices, grew by 2 percent last year. Yet the group's current suite of products targets a market with about