Here’s a roundup of the latest dealflow and investment news:
News Well
FDA clears Teleflex’s VasaNova catheter locator | Regulatory roundup
Here’s a roundup of companies announcing clearances and approvals from the Food & Drug Administration and foreign regulatory agencies. Check out MassDevice’s compilation of the latest regulatory news for additional clearances and approvals.
Measuring the financial impact of pediatric re-admissions
By Jay Berry
Emerging evidence suggests that small groups of adult patients who are frequently readmitted to the hospital are responsible for a large proportion of healthcare costs. Is this also true in pediatrics? What impact do our young "frequent flyers" have on the inpatient healthcare system?
Gates Foundation invests $10 million in vaccine firm Liquidia
Nanotechnology company Liquidia Technologies has received a $10 million equity investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support vaccine development and commercialization.
The financing follows the announcement last month of a collaborative agreement with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, which is working with Liquidia to develop next-generation malaria vaccines using the Morrisville, N.C.-based company’s nanotechnology methods.
Medtronic ramps up CoreValve trial | Research roundup
Updated: 3/7/2011 9:45 a.m.
Medtronic Inc.’s (NYSE:MDT) clinical trial for its CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve implant system has officially begun.
The 40-site, 1,300-patient trial is designed evaluate a the non-surgical alternative to open-heart surgery for patients with severe aortic stenosis.
ISO revisions increase burden for medical device trial compliance
By Stewart Eisenhart, Emergo Group
AmniSure notches patent win over Finnish firm
AmniSure International LLC declared victory in its seven-year patent fight with a Finnish company.
The High Court of Germany voided the Medix Biochemica patent associated with that firm’s Actim PROM test for detection of premature rupture of fetal membranes, according to AmniSure. The court ruled that Medix’s patent lacked a so-called "inventive step," meaning it is too closely related to previously patented technology.
Wall Street likes Cooper’s vision for the future
Buoyed by strong growth in the vision-care unit during its latest reporting period, The Cooper Companies Inc. (NYSE:COO) last night raised its earnings and revenue forecast for the rest of the year, sending the company’s stock on a tear when trading began this morning.
FDA issues Class I recall of C.R. Bard wound-healing graft
The FDA issued a Class I recall of a surgical graft manufactured by C.R. Bard Inc. (NYSE:BCR) subsidiary Davol Inc. on fears it might contain a toxin.
The federal watchdog agency is recalling several lots of Davol’s XenMatrix product because of concerns that it might contain elevated levels of endotoxins. The toxins, which are found in certain bacteria, can cause fatal illness at higher levels, according to the FDA.
Expect more hearings on Capitol Hill over FDA approval times
Hospital re-admittance costs shared by healthcare system and patients
By Jay Berry
Everywhere you turn these days, there’s an airline, grocery store or coffee shop pushing a “frequent flyer” or “rewards” program. You know the gist – the more money you give these businesses, the more discounts they give back to you and the more money you “save.” In theory, these programs are win-win: customers like frequenting the same business; businesses love holding onto satisfied customers.
But when I was a medical student, and overheard a nurse call my patient a “frequent flyer,” I wondered, “Who gets the ‘reward’ in that frequent flyer deal?” I hoped this child, a 4-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, was benefiting from being admitted over and over again.