Category: Plus 7

A GPO urges the IRS to prevent device makers from passing the cost of the med-tech tax on to customers through price hikes; Covidien jumps into the high blood pressure arena with CE Mark in hand through $230M Maya merger; an independent study concludes that Riata's survival rate is 'significantly worse' than for Quattro; the DePuy hip battle wages on in the pages of the British Medical Journal; HRS 2012 attendees wonder whether Cameron Health's 'leadless' ICD is a niche product or a game-changer; a House panel speeds FDA user fee bill along; and Covidien denies layoffs tied to device tax.

Medtronic's CRM layoffs may be a sign of a prolonged slump; Johnson & Johnson might be eyeing Edwards or St. Jude; Edwards wins CMS Medicare coverage for its Sapien TAVI system; Masimo CEO Kiani tells us why the med-tech industry should protect its young; GOP govs ask Senate and House leaders to kill the medical device tax; MassDevice.com looks at the most talked about device makers in April; and Siemens reveals probes into Russian payments and its diagnostics business.

Boston Scientific warns on ICD electrical malfunctions in a pair of ICDs following 1 patient's death; device tax opposition forces seem to be gaining steam; HeartWare wins an FDA panel nod for its heart pump; analysts are cautious about Boston Scientific's $1.3B lead-free ICD ahead of an FDA panel; Accuray's CyberKnife plans to go head-to-head against Intuitive's da Vinci robot; a Senate panel adds safety measures to FDA's user fee act; and exposed FDA docs reveal misgivings about the EU's device review system.

Sen. hopeful Warren would repeal device tax, GOP Reps. aim to add job concerns to the FDA's mission statement, EU regulators clear J&J's $21B Synthes buyout, DePuy's ASR recall takes $271M from J&J's Q1 bottom line, St. Jude slumps along with its CRM sales, a Smith & Nephew shareholder faction opposes CEO Bohuon's $2.5M "golden hello"and Abbott's Q1 device sales slump on Boston Scientific stent royalty losses.

This special edition of the MassDevice +7 details the unprecedented eruption from St. Jude Medical this week over its recalled Riata defibrillator lead.

The med-tech tax tab is set to top $30B; MassDevice.com analyzes device trends online for the past month; Ex-Medicare chief Berwick says "The medical device industry is doing a lot to protect patients"; we look at trends in online chatter about medical device makers; Philips Healthcare CEO Rusckowski weighs in on the device tax, saying "It's not good"; St. Jude slumps on another lead recall; we break down 10 companies in line for a whack on the med-tech tax; J&J ditches DePuy trauma business ahead of Synthes merger.

This week: A MassDevice.com analysis finds that the med-tech tax could draw far more than the $2 billion intended, Intuitive Surgical CEO Gary Guthart tells us that "the first rule of being disruptive is having people who believe they can change the world," the device tax spurs Hill-Rom to lay off 200 and becomes a political pinball, we look at what happens to the med-tech tax if Obamacare goes down, docs are upbeat on St. Jude's Durata despite the troubled Riata recall and the GAO says the FDA is "inconsistent" in meeting performance goals.