Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 3 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.
3. The year of the medtech mega-merger
The $40 billion worth of mergers and acquisitions last year in the medical device industry made it the year of the mega-merger, according to EP Vantage, with deal value more than doubling compared with 2013.
And that’s not even counting the largest merger in medtech history, Medtronic’s (NYSE:MDT) $50 billion acquisition of Covidien, which closed in late January. Read more
2. Boston Scientific touts 1st Watchman implantations
It may have taken about a decade for Boston Scientific to win FDA approval for its Watchman device, but once it came the company wasted no time in getting the anti-stroke cardiac implant on the U.S. market.
Marlborough, Mass.-based Boston Scientific said yesterday that 3 U.S. patients received the 1st commercial implantations of the Watchman device this week. Read more
1. Medtronic buys hearing aid maker Sophono
Medtronic today said it closed a buyout of hearing aid maker Sophono for an undisclosed amount and plans to integrate it into its ear, nose & throat business.
Boulder, Colo.-based Sophono sells its magnetic hearing implants in 42 countries. The devices, intended for patients 5 years and older with single-sided deafness or conductive mixed hearing loss, are designed to transmit sound through the skin, Medtronic said. Read more