Medical Device Week articles from April 2006

Medical Device Week archives from April 2006

Deals roundup.
April 24, 2006... Deals roundup Abbott buy of Guidant vascular valued at up to $6.4 billion A Medical Device Daily Staff Report Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, Illinois) reported that it has completed the acquisition of Guidant's (Indianapolis)...

Add-on payment may, or may not, benefit new tech uptake.
April 24, 2006... Revising IPPS Add-on payment may, or may not, benefit new tech uptake By HOLLAND JOHNSON Medical Device Daily Associate Managing Editor The medical device industry over the past decade has been critical of CMS reimbursement...

Report from Europe.
April 24, 2006... Report from Europe Cerner new clinical information provider for state of Victoria A Medical Device Daily Staff Report The Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS; Melbourne, Australia) has selected Cerner (Kansas City,...

SRI finds NEEMO an extremely good display of robotic surgery.
April 24, 2006... SRI finds NEEMO an extremely good display of robotic surgery By KAREN YOUNG Medical Device Daily Staff Writer While not quite "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" -- just 62 feet, to be exact -- the NASA Extreme Environment Mission...

Washington roundup.
April 24, 2006... Washington roundup NIH group touts advances from phase III trials, plus paybacks A Medical Device Daily Staff Report A review of all phase III clinical trials supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke...

Many questions about company (formerly known as) Guidant.
April 24, 2006... News Analysis Many questions about company (formerly known as) Guidant By DON LONG Medical Device Daily Managing Editor While the shareholder approval of the Boston Scientific/Guidant merger late last month was reportedly...

Financings roundup.
April 24, 2006... Financings roundup PhotoThera in $30.5M 'C' round; Gen-Probe buys FastPack rights A Medical Device Daily Staff Report PhotoThera (Carlsbad, California), a company pioneering the use of therapeutic laser technology for treatment of...

Agreements roundup.
April 24, 2006... Agreements roundup MedAvant Healthcare in pact with Adventist Health System A Medical Device Daily Staff Report MedAvant Healthcare Solutions (Atlanta), which focuses on healthcare technology and transaction services, said it has...

Briefly Noted.
April 24, 2006... Briefly Noted WHO names first Health-Promoting Hospital The World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva) has named Memorial Medical Center (Johnstown, Pennsylvania) as the first Health-Promoting Hospital (HPH) in the U.S. The WHO's...

Product Briefs.
April 24, 2006... Product Briefs * EP MedSystems (West Berlin, New Jersey), a developer of electrophysiology products used in cardiac rhythm management, reported that its ViewFlex ultrasound imaging catheter was used in a unique procedure to treat a patient...

People in Places.
April 24, 2006... People in Places Steven Goldberg, MD has been named chief clinical officer at Cardiac Dimensions (Kirkland, Washington) to support the company's worldwide clinical trials of the Carillon Mitral Contour System. A board-certified...

Display technologies, ballooning data key challenges for imaging.
April 25, 2006... 'Century of Science' Display technologies, ballooning data key challenges for imaging By MARK McCARTY Medical Device Daily Washington Editor WASHINGTON -- On the last day of FDA's "Century of Science" forum, Kyle Myers, PhD,...

Deals roundup.
April 25, 2006... Deals roundup Pelican closes PML purchase, adds $100M for future buys A Medical Device Daily Staff Report Pelican Life Sciences (Huntersville, North Carolina) reported that it has completed the acquisition of PML Microbiologicals...

Report from Europe.
April 25, 2006... Report from Europe SonoSite teams with Siemens for distribution in Germany By DON LONG Medical Device Daily Managing Editor and Staff Reports SonoSite (Bothell, Washington), focused on the development of hand-carried...

Financings roundup.
April 25, 2006... Financings roundup CardioFocus raises 'C' $21.5M; Natus places $100M on shelf A Medical Device Daily Staff Report CardioFocus (Boston), a private company focused on developing catheter products for the treatment of atrial...

Court report.
April 25, 2006... Court report Racially diverse jury seated for trial of Siegelman, Scrushy A Medical Device Daily Staff Report A federal judge late last week seated a racially diverse jury for the trial of Don Siegelman, a former governor of...

Viasys secures ISO certification.(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... Viasys secures ISO certification Viasys Healthcare (Conshohocken, Pennsylvania) reported that its Viasys Respiratory Care subsidiary has been audited by the British Standards Institution and awarded certification under International...

Agreements roundup.
April 25, 2006... Agreements roundup U. of Maryland in accord with Cerner to aid nurses with IT A Medical Device Daily Staff Report The University of Maryland School of Nursing (Baltimore) and Cerner (Kansas City, Missouri), an IT supplier, in...

Briefly Noted.
April 25, 2006... Briefly Noted Symposium addresses P4P CareScience (Philadelphia), a division of Quovadx (Greenwood Village, Colorado), a provider of care management, clinical analysis and clinical quality improvement solutions, will host clinical and...

Grants/contracts.
April 25, 2006... Grants/contracts Carnegie Mellon, Pitt receive $13.3M for new pathway center A Medical Device Daily Staff Report A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh (both Pittsburgh) has received...

People in Places.
April 25, 2006... People in Places * Gerald Wolf, PhD, MD, joined Advanced Magnetics (Cambridge, Massachusetts) as vice president of imaging. Wolf was most recently with Advanced Magnetics as medical director of Perceptive Informatics. He is also an...

Product Briefs.
April 25, 2006... Product Briefs * Cytori Therapeutics (San Diego), which is developing cell-based therapeutics utilizing adult stem and regenerative cells derived from adipose tissue, said that adipose stem and regenerative cells, when administered in...

Deals roundup.
April 26, 2006... Deals roundup Millipore to buy Serologicals in $1.4 billion all-cash deal By HOLLAND JOHNSON Medical Device Daily Associate Managing Editor Millipore (Billerica, Massachusetts) and Serologicals (Norcross, Georgia) reported...

Hologic to buy R2 Technology via $220M stock transaction.
April 26, 2006... Hologic to buy R2 Technology via $220M stock transaction By KAREN YOUNG Medical Device Daily Staff Writer Hologic (Bedford, Massachusetts) a provider of diagnostic and digital imaging systems for women's health, is expanding its...

Report from Europe.
April 26, 2006... Report from Europe RAPS sets meeting to analyze Euro health product regulation A Medical Device Daily Staff Report European government and industry leaders will meet to evaluate European policy on health product innovation at a...

Cook poised to move to pivotal trial for fenestrated endograft.
April 26, 2006... Cook poised to move to pivotal trial for fenestrated endograft By DON LONG Medical Device Daily Managing Editor Cook (Bloomington, Indiana) yesterday reported that it is preparing to file with the FDA to move forward with a pivotal...

FDA issues warning concerning oxygen regulator explosions.
April 26, 2006... FDA issues warning concerning oxygen regulator explosions A Medical Device Daily Staff Report The FDA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH; Washington) yesterday jointly issued an alert concerning the...

Healthcare Acquisition now HAPC.(Brief article)
April 26, 2006... Healthcare Acquisition now HAPC Healthcare Acquisition Partners (New York) said that the company has changed its name to HAPC and, effective at the opening of the market as of April 25, the company's ticker symbol on the OTCBB was HAPNU....

Washington roundup.
April 26, 2006... Washington roundup Government analysis of SBIR said not 'apples to apples' By AARON LORENZO Medical Device Daily Staff Writer and Staff Reports WASHINGTON -- A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO)...

Grants/contracts.
April 26, 2006... Grants/contracts $10.3M for prosthetic arm R&D will go to University of Utah A Medical Device Daily Staff Report University of Utah (Salt Lake City) researchers will receive up to $10.3 million to help develop a new prosthetic arm...

Financings roundup.
April 26, 2006... Financings roundup Alveolus $15 million 'C' round to support non-vascular stents A Medical Device Daily Staff Report Alveolus (Charlotte, North Carolina), a developer of non-vascular stenting technologies, reported the closing of...

Agreements roundup.
April 26, 2006... Agreements roundup Adept Technologies in device automation effort with Insulet A Medical Device Daily Staff Report Adept Technology (Livermore, California), a provider of vision-guided robotics and global robotics services,...

People in Places.
April 26, 2006... People in Places * Hillel Bachrach has been appointed executive chairman of Intelligent Medical Implants (Zug, Switzerland). Bachrach was previously president and CEO of Orex Computerized Radiography, which was sold to Eastman Kodak. He...

Product Briefs.
April 26, 2006... Product Briefs * Orthofix International (Huntersville, North Carolina) said that its BREG (Vista, California) subsidiary has launched its newest ambulatory infusion pump, e-PainCare. The programmable electronic infusion pump delivers local...

Medtronic to begin 'rigorous' trials of brain stimulation.
April 27, 2006... The American Association of Neurological Surgeons Medtronic to begin 'rigorous' trials of brain stimulation By HOLLAND JOHNSON Medical Device Daily Associate Managing Editor Based in part on what it said were promising study...

X Stop decompression gets national launch at conference.(American Association of Neurological Surgeons meetings)(Conference notes)
April 27, 2006... The American Association of Neurological Surgeons X Stop decompression gets national launch at conference By DON LONG Medical Device Daily Managing Editor Are you over 50? Do you have back and leg pain when you stand or walk?...

NRC advisory group stands pat on Y-90 in liver cancer training.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission )
April 27, 2006... NRC advisory group stands pat on Y-90 in liver cancer training By MARK McCARTY Medical Device Daily Washington Editor BETHESADA Maryland -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission hosted a meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Medical...

Few surprises in long-awaited implantable device guidelines.
April 27, 2006... Heart Rhythm Society issues report Few surprises in long-awaited implantable device guidelines By DON LONG Medical Device Daily Managing Editor The Heart Rhythm Society (Washington) yesterday released its long-awaited...

Financings roundup.
April 27, 2006... Financings roundup Light Sciences Oncology files to raise $86M in IPO By JENNIFER BOGGS Medical Device Daily Staff Writer Preparing to enter Phase III trials with Litx, its drug/device combination product to treat cancer,...

Report from Europe.
April 27, 2006... Report from Europe Region's nuclear imaging sector to get technology driver boost A Medical Device Daily Staff Report A new report from Frost & Sullivan (London) says that the introduction of new technologies is set to revitalize...

Deals roundup.
April 27, 2006... Deals roundup MedAssist buys Twin Medical; Kendle's IC-Research buy final A Medical Device Daily Staff Report MedAssist Holding (Louisville, Kentucky), a provider of outsourced patient eligibility, accounts receivable management,...

Grants/contracts.
April 27, 2006... Grants/contracts BearingPoint has potential for $35.9 million with NIH grant A Medical Device Daily Staff Report BearingPoint (McLean, Virginia), a management and technology consulting firm, reported that it has been awarded an...

HRS device guidelines involve docs, industry and government.(Heart Rhythm Society)(doctors)
April 27, 2006... HRS device guidelines involve docs, industry and government A Medical Device Daily Staff Report Following are selected highlights from the recommendations just released by Heart Rhythm Society (Washington) concerning pacemakers and...

Product Briefs.
April 27, 2006... Product Briefs * Aperio Technologies (Vista, California), a provider of microscope slide scanners and related software in the field of digital microscope slide imaging, reported that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued the...

North American Scientific wins breast brachytherapy approval.(Brief article)
April 27, 2006... North American Scientific wins breast brachytherapy approval A Medical Device Daily Staff Report North American Scientific (Chatsworth, California), a manufacturer of brachytherapy sources, reported that the company has received 510(k)...

Diagnostic Products scooped up by Siemens in $1.86 billion deal.
April 28, 2006... A big conglomerate enters in vitro diag market Diagnostic Products scooped up by Siemens in $1.86 billion deal By KAREN YOUNG Medical Device Daily Staff Writer And DON LONG Medical Device Daily Managing Editor Siemens...

Financings roundup.
April 28, 2006... Financings roundup LeMaitre files for $69 million IPO; OrbiMed closes $500 million fund By HOLLAND JOHNSON Medical Device Daily Associate Managing Editor LeMaitre Vascular (Burlington, Massachusetts), a company developing...

Report from Israel.
April 28, 2006... Report from Israel Exotic inventions, technologies, integrated systems in full flower By RAE FISHMAN Medical Device Daily Correspondent ZICHRON YAAKOV, Israel -- This country's wealth of exotic technologies in start-up...

WorldHeart garners 50% paring of RELIANT DT trial enrollment.(destination therapy)
April 28, 2006... WorldHeart garners 50% paring of RELIANT DT trial enrollment By HOLLAND JOHNSON Medical Device Daily Associate Managing Editor Circulatory support system maker WorldHeart (Oakland, California) got a very early Christmas present...

SeraCare reports consolidation into Massachusetts operations.(SeraCare Life Sciences Inc.)
April 28, 2006... SeraCare reports consolidation into Massachusetts operations A Medical Device Daily Staff Report Embattled biologics supplier SeraCare Life Sciences (Oceanside, California) yesterday unveiled plans to consolidate its facilities and...

Briefly Noted.
April 28, 2006... Briefly Noted Cypher stent now in 2 million patients Two million patients have received the Cordis (Miami Lakes, Florida) Cypher sirolimus-eluting coronary stent since its market introduction in Europe in April 2002, a "first-time...

Court report.
April 28, 2006... Court report Applera, Beckman Coulter settle; SEC fines BodyScan executive A Medical Device Daily Staff Report Applera (Norwalk, Connecticut) and Beckman Coulter (BC; Fullerton, California) yesterday reported that they have...

Aviva launches EPOD service.
April 28, 2006... Aviva launches EPOD service Aviva Biosciences (San Diego) launched its Electrophysiology on Demand (EPOD) service using an expanded bank of PatchXpress automated electrophysiology instruments. EPOD encompasses all "necessary...

Deals roundup.
April 28, 2006... Deals roundup American Medical pays $50M for electro-stimulation product A Medical Device Daily Staff Report American Medical Systems Holdings (Minnetonka, Minnesota) reported its acquisition of assets from Israeli company...

Agreements roundup.
April 28, 2006... Agreements roundup Zimmer and HCA in five-year orthopedic implant supply pact A Medical Device Daily Staff Report Zimmer Holdings (Warsaw, Indiana) and HCA (Nashville, Tennessee) reported a five-year orthopedic implant supply...

People in Places.
April 28, 2006... People in Places * Sam Humphries has been named president and CEO of HealthTronics (Austin, Texas), which provides healthcare services primarily to the urology community and manufactures medical devices. Humphries will also serve as a...

Product Briefs.
April 28, 2006... Product Briefs * ArthroCare (Austin, Texas) said study results published in this month's Journal of Arthroscopy and Related Surgery show the use of low-temperature bipolar radio frequency, known as Coblation technology, preserves the same...