Medical Devices Today

Device VCs Find New Hope in Old Exit Path

Article preview from IN VIVO - July, 2010

An analysis of acquisitions of privately held venture-backed medical device companies delivers some signs of hope as well as important warnings for medical device VCs hoping to find a lucrative exit in this difficult market.

TYRX: Is This the Model for Drug/Device Convergence?

Article preview from IN VIVO-  May, 2010

TYRX has a novel device - an antibiotic-impregnated envelope designed to prevent infections in CRM implants - that could create signifcant opportunities, not just for itself, but also for large CRM companies looking to differentiate their devices in a flat, crowded market. Convergence has fallen on hard times recently, but TYRX hopes to succeed where others have failed by stripping risk out of drug/device convergence.

Ascension Orthopedics' Fate May Rest on the Shoulder

Article preview from IN VIVO-  May, 2010

After more than a decade of crafting small bone orthopedic implants from its innovative PyroCarbon biomaterial, Ascension is hoping to reach its full potential by obtaining regulatory approval for a line of carbon shoulder replacement systems that might change the way the joint is treated.

Social Media Offer Many Benefits To Companies, But Caution Is Urged

Full article reprinted from "The Gray Sheet" - September 28, 2009

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can serve as an invaluable marketing resource for medical device and drug companies, but as FDA works to develop guidance on the issue, companies should be careful to control the content of their Web postings, marketing experts caution. Read more...

At Democratic And Republican Conventions, Pharma Donates Money, Hosts Events

Full article reprinted from "The Pink Sheet" – Aug. 25, 2007

Find out what top executives from the biomedical industry are doing to connect with legislators and celebrities at the Democratic National Convention in Denver this week and at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul next week.

New Mass. Law Irks Industry, As Focus Shifts To Reg Implementation

Full article reprinted from "The Gray Sheet" - August 18, 2008

Find out what device industry advocates are saying about a new Massachusetts law that requires all device and drug companies doing business in the state to abide by a strict marketing code of conduct.

Prescient Medical's Dual Approach to Vulnerable Plaque

Article preview reprinted from IN VIVO - June 2008

Headed by the team that pioneered the coronary stent, Prescient is using a medical imaging breakthrough and a unique financing strategy to succeed where other device companies have failed: detecting and treating vulnerable plaque.

RFID Tags Create Risks For Critical Care Equipment – Dutch Study

Full article reprinted from "The Gray Sheet" - June 30, 2008

Interference from radiofrequency identification (RFID) systems may cause medical device malfunctions, Dutch researchers reported June 25 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

As part of a research project initiated by the Netherlands' Ministry of Health in May 2006, the investigators conducted more than 100 tests on 41 different medical devices from 22 manufacturers, including B. Braun's Infusomat infusion pump, Medtronic and Biotronik external pacemakers, GE's Marquette MAC 5000 12-lead electrocardiogram device, as well as monitors, anesthesia devices and ventilators.

Takes a Saint

Article preview from the IN VIVO BLOG - June 26, 2008

Lost in the news that Boston Scientific is continuing to sell off pieces of itself was the creation of a new venture capital fund affiliated with secondary buyer Saints Capital.

Saints raised $165 million for new fund, Saints Everest. It paid $100 million for 54 companies from Boston Scientific's venture portfolio. Its investors include Adams Capital Management and Harbourvest Partners LLC, according to Scott Halsted, the firms' new managing director.

Is Spine Surgery Under Assault?

Article preview from IN VIVO - May 2008

Find out why a recent article published in JAMA has spine surgeons crying foul?