Medical Devices Today

Medtronic Looks to Strengthen Spine with Osteotech Purchase

Article preview from In-Vivo - September, 2010

Medtronic, struggling to hold onto its sizable share of the shrinking spinal market, made a bid for publicly traded Osteotech, a maker of a demineralized bone matrix agent that will broaden the company's regenerative product portfolio.

Boston Sci Sues Cook, S. Korean Firms For Endoscopic Stent Patent Violations

Medtronic, St. Jude Resolve Executive-Switch Dispute Without Explanation

Boston Sci Makes New Move To Block Suit Against Guidant Over Defibrillator

Endo To Spend $1.2 Billion To Buy Generic Maker Qualitest

Cordis Study Says 10-Year-Old Cypher Equal To Abbott’s Newer Xience V

J&J Completes $480 Million Acquisition Of Micrus Endovascular

Hologic Gets Full Backing Of FDA Advisers For 3-D Mammography

Abbott Releases More Studies Comparing Its Stent With Boston Scientific’s

Cook Reports Favorable Study For Stent Alternative To Artery Bypasses

St. Jude, Managers Face Derivative Shareholder Suit Over Federal Charges

Edwards Says Sapien Heart Valve Cut Deaths In Study Of Frail, Elderly

St. Jude Wins Insurer’s Court Case Over Silzone Coating Policy Payoff

Roche Automated Hepatitis B Test Wins FDA Approval For U.S. Market

Stryker Signs Marketing Agreement For Vision Sciences Endoscope Products

Zoll Medical Gets FDA Approval For Propaq M Vital Signs Monitor For Military

Justice Dept, Inspector General To Target Individuals In Off-Label Cases

Article preview from "The Gray Sheet" - September 29, 2010

The government's chief litigators are not mincing words: They plan to hold more health care execs personally responsible for crimes at their firms.

Diabetes Device Market: Innovation Highlights Road to Growth

Article preview from Medtech Insight - September, 2010

Despite the slumping economy, the diabetes market continues to be a very active area, with treatment-changing products recently launched or in late-stage development. Although no industry has been able to escape the effects of the US recession, and certain segments of the diabetes market have seen a decline in sales, other areas continue to move forward. Once the economy returns to healthier levels, the overall market is expected to see a renewal of growth. Meanwhile, an expanded emphasis on emerging international markets could help offset some of the sluggish numbers in the US and parts of Europe.

In Glaucoma, Devices Go Eye-to-Eye with Drugs

Article preview from Start Up - September, 2010

Glaucoma is of serious interest to VCs and strategic investors because of its sheer size; the disease affects 3 million people, most of them managed by drugs. Glaucoma drugs have created a $4 billion market, but have several problems, the greatest of which is non-compliance. Glaukos and other device companies aim to introduce devices that are safe and efficacious enough to compete directly with drugs, rather than standing in as an alternative to today's glaucoma surgeries reserved for end-stage patients. Glaukos recently marked a first of its kind victory; with a tiny implantable ophthalmic stent, Glaukos emerged from a PMA clinical trial that convinced an FDA panel of the benefit-to-risk ratio of its approach when used as a first-line therapy in a select group.

Medicare Panel Gives Wish List For Bone Morphogenetic Protein Research

Article preview from "The Gray Sheet" - September 27, 2010

Cross-industry cooperation may be needed to develop more effective bone morphogenetic proteins to promote bone growth and fusion, according to a Medicare advisory panel.

Boston Scientific To Buy Asthmatx For Up To $443.5 Million

Boston Scientific Gets EU Approval For Two New Uses Of Promuse Stent

GE Set To Test ‘Smart Room’ To Help Prevent Hospital ‘Superbug’ Spread

St. Jude Named In Volcano Suit Response To Earlier St. Jude Stent-Wire Suit

Alcon Sale To Novartis Advances With Sale Of Eye Drug To Bausch & Lomb

Medtronic Device Tested To Ease Migraine Pain With Electrical Stimulation

Medtronic Wins Appeals Court Decision Rejecting Shareholder Suit Over Leads

Edwards Sapien Trial Success Could Make It Acquisition Target

Boston Sci Cleared To Market Defibrillator To Wider Patient Market

Cardinal Health Sells Rest Of Stake In CareFusion Spinoff For $706 Million

Boston Sci Head Says Firm Focused On Buying Smaller Companies

St. Jude Opens Major Heart-Valve Plant In Costa Rica

American Medical Patent Case With Biolitec Ordered Back To District Court

GE, Philips, Others Face U.S. Device Competition From China’s Mindray

Device Center Increases Advertising/Promotion Enforcement Staff

Article preview from "The Gray Sheet" - September 22, 2010

FDA's device center will increase its focus on advertising and promotion enforcement efforts, as well as policy development, with recently expanded staff resources.

Market & Industry Briefs: Cardiovascular, Neurovascular, Orthopedics/Spine, Regulatory, Around the Industry

Article preview from Medtech Insight - August, 2010

Brief summaries of recent medtech market and industry developments. This month we cover trial results for PFO closure devices, the launch of Edwards Lifesciences' transcatheter valve, Accumetrics' push for platelet testing, J&J;'s acquisition of Micrus, the slowdown in the hip and knee market, and the new federal rule on covering preventive screening.

Medtech Risk Capital? Anything But. A VC Roundtable from IN3

Article preview from Start Up - September, 2010

A year and a half after the September 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers and the official start of the economic recession, a panel of venture capitalists and other financiers in the medical device industry came together at the IN3 meeting in Boston. We asked them if they've had to change the way they look at deals. What is the trade-off between expensive, de-risked later stage deals and the kinds of returns that can be achieved by backing a winning company from start to finish? Where would they place their bets: cost-effective technologies for tried-and-true markets or novel products for unmet clinical needs, the "evolutionary vs. revolutionary" debate? And what can one do about tired syndicates? Our panel lets us in on the kinds of discussions they've been having around the table at weekly partners' meetings.