Say hello to MassDevice +5, a bite-sized view of the top five medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 5 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
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5. Less than half of healthcare professionals think medtech brands meet needs
Roughly two-fifths of healthcare professionals say medical device brands aren’t meeting expectations, and failure to offer flexible contract options is also a problem, according to a new survey from Vennli (South Bend, Ind.).
The survey, called “Differentiating to Win in Medical Device Marketing,” polled over 9,000 physicians, dentists and other clinicians to figure out what the key drivers are for buying medical devices. The survey narrowed down the key factors to include the most and least important attributes, differentiating factors, points of parity and unmet needs. The participants were asked to rank 508 attributes to allow Vennli to determine what matters the most when buying medical devices. Read more
4. Researchers combine a smart phone, insulin pump and CGM in diabetes study
In a study published this week in Diabetes Care, researchers combined an insulin pump, a continuous glucose monitoring receiver and a smart phone with cloud-based algorithms to automatically monitor and adjust a patient’s glucose levels.
The team pointed towards a number of systems that are designed to function as an artificial pancreas, but still require that users input their carbohydrate estimates when they need insulin after meals. Read more
3. J&J’s DePuy fields 341 hip cases in the England
Johnson & Johnson subsidiary DePuy saw its 1st day in court in the UK this week as it faces 341 claims that it sold “defective” Pinnacle hip implants that caused metal particles to be released into patients bodies, according to a Bloomberg report.
The metal-on-metal hip case is one of the largest product liability group actions to reach the UK’s courts, according to the plaintiff’s law firm Leigh Day. Read more
2. VA head Shulkin under consideration for HHS head
Current US Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin is slated for an interview as a candidate to lead the Dept. of Health and Human Services, replacing recently resigned HHS Secretary Tom Price, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
VA Secretary Shulkin, a holdover from the Obama administration, is being considered among several candidates to replace Price who resigned late last month, according to the report. Read more
1. Johnson & Johnson’s Q3 results top estimates despite profit slide
Although third-quarter profits for Johnson & Johnson were off nearly -13%, the healthcare giant still managed to top the consensus estimate for sales and earnings per share on a top-line gain of more than 10%.
New Brunswick, N.J.-based J&J posted profits of $3.76 billion, or $1.37 per share, on sales of $19.65 billion for the three months ended Sept. 30, for a bottom-line slide of -11.9% on sales growth of 10.3%. Read more