Medical Devices Today

Thermo Fisher Seeks To Sell $1 Billion Worth Of Service Divisions

Boston Sci Wins Back $77 Million From Israel’s Medinol In Patent Settlement
Boston Sci CEO Says Report Of Excessive Defib Use To Have Little Impact
S&N Stock Value Jump Leads To Probe Of Market Manipulation In Takeover Bid
C.R. Bard Unit Recalls Surgical-Graft Devices Due To Testing Failure
Edwards CEO Says Focus Is On Acquiring Mid-Size Companies For Cash
Abbott Gets EU Clearance To Market First Absorbable Stent In Europe
Zimmer, S&N Chiefs Count On Jobs Growth To Restore Ortho Sales
S&N Rejects J&J $11 Billion Acquisition Offer, Sources Say
Wright Medical Signs With AlloSource To Launch FusionFlex In U.S.
Abbott, Other Device Leaders See Acquisitions Solution To Flagging Sales
Medtronic Retirees Lose Court Case Over Disclosure Gaps Affecting Benefits
Boston Sci Offers Policy Changes Ahead Of Court Sentence Of Guidant Unit
Hologic Says It Bought Interlace Medical For $125 Million In Cash
Beckman Coulter Bidding War Fades, Leaving Private-Equity Firms Dominant

Slender Medical Ltd.

 Article preview from Start Up- December 1, 2010

For nonsurgical body contouring,Slender Medical Ltd. has developed a device that uses high intensity-focused ultrasound to effectively treat local anatomical areas like the chin and arms, so it is being positioned to either augment liposuction or as stand-alone therapy. Because of a dual-head applicator comprising two ultrasonic transducers, the Slender system is able to both transmit ultrasonic waves and receive the ultrasonic signal. As a result, it can monitor temperature at the same time it extracts fat tissue, leading to a safer outcome for the patient.

Ophthalmology Community Focuses on Laser Cataract Technology

 Article preview from Medtech Insight- December 1, 2010

Among new technologies discussed at three major ophthalmology conferences this fall, it was the emerging field of laser cataract surgery that generated the greatest interest among attendees, although the first system is just now being launched commercially and there are many unanswered questions regarding the economics of this promising technology and how it will be adopted.

In Medical Devices, Is "Good Enough" Good Enough?

 Article preview from In-Vivo- December 1, 2010

Device companies have historically been rewarded for even incremental technology enhancements with premium pricing by a price-insensitive customer, all in the spirit that no improvement to the clinical episode would go unrewarded. But in a health care system that is trying to balance exploding costs and greater access, such a goal becomes simply unaffordable. Instead, payors, hospitals and even physicians, encouraged by government policy makers, will increasingly look for technology that delivers an acceptable clinical outcome at a better price.

 

New Survey Aims To Convey 510(k) Concerns To Policymakers

Article preview from "The Gray Sheet" - January 10, 2011

Researchers from Northwestern and Stanford universities are planning to survey thousands of device industry reps in hopes of giving the Institute of Medicine a clearer picture of challenges faced within the 510(k) clearance process.

FDA's Second-In-Command, Joshua Sharfstein, To Leave Agency

Article preview from "The Gray Sheet" - January 5, 2011

FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein is expected to announce today that he is relinquishing his post to become secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Medical Device Interoperability: Unattainable or Inevitable? An Interview With Julian M. Goldman, MD

Article preview from Medtech Insight- December 1, 2010

Electronic medical records will drive increasing demand for standards-based medical device interoperability, an advance that could enable real-time population of the EMR and the development of "smart" systems capable of integrating disparate clinical information. But what are the issues surrounding medical device interoperability? And what it mean for medical device manufacturers? Medtech Insight interviews Julian Goldman, MD, the founding director of Medical Device Plug-and-Play Interoperability Program at the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innnovative Technology.

Hygieia Inc.

Article preview from Start Up- November 01, 2010

An urgent need exists for a simple and cost-effective way to support insulin therapy, mainly for people with type 2 diabetes, in between physician check-ups. Hygieia Inc. plans on addressing this need in a big way with its patient- and clinician-friendly Diabetes Insulin Guidance System (DIGS), designed to replace commonly used glucose meters that simply provide blood sugar readings. Hygieia's DIGS device is designed to support diabetes patients' glycemic control by providing them with with simple dose-by-dose insulin recommendations.

NEJM Studies Continue to Haunt Vertebroplasty Companies

Article preview from In-Vivo- November 01, 2010

Now, vertebroplasty advocates look to be losing on a very significant front. A growing number of third-party payors - including at least one Medicare contractor - are reconsidering their coverage of procedures for vertebral compression fractures.

Medtronic, Boston Sci, St. Jude Defibrillators Implants Often Unnecessary: Study

J&J’s Veridex To Begin Trials This Year On More Powerful Version Of CellSearch

Boston Sci Completes Neurovascular Sale To Stryker For $1.5 Billion

Boston Sci Rumored Possible Buyer Of Intelect Medical

Medtronic CEO Hawkins To Consult For Firm For Year Into Retirement

Medtronic, Alnylam Drug Maker Collaborate For Huntington’s Treatment

Smith & Nephew Warned By FDA Over Problems At German Plant

Edwards Ties With Israel’s CollPlant To Develop Cardiovascular Collagen

Thermo Fisher Completes Buy Of Australian Instrument Maker Lomb

Medtronic Device Under Fire For Use At Army Hospital Before Approval

Zimmer Buys Swiss Device Maker Sodem Diffusion, For Week’s Second Buy

Cordis Sells Miami Plant , Buyers Lease To HeartWare As Major Tenant

Ev3 Recalls Batches Of Arterial Catheter For Cracks, Failure During Dilation

Abbott Recalls 359 Million Strips For Measuring Diabetic Sugar Levels

Medtronic Gets Clearance To Market Endurant Stent in U.S.