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. FDA adds ‘black box’ warning to power morcellator labels
The FDA put so-called “black box” warnings on the labels for laparoscopic power morcellators advising doctors that the devices, until recently a mainstay of gynecological surgery, be avoided in nearly all fibroid-removal procedures.
The morcellators, which use a cutting tip to shred and remove uterine tissue, have been implicated in the spread of a lethal cancer that can masquerade undetected as benign fibroids. Read more
2. InfoBionic raises $17m for cloud-based patient monitoring system
An investment subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts signed on for the 2nd tranche of InfoBionic’s $17 million Series B financing. The Lowell, Mass.-based startup plans to use the cash infusion to commercialize its cloud-based remote patient monitoring system in the U.S. and Europe.
Excel Venture Management and Zaffre Investments, the Blue Cross Blue Shield subsidiary, joined the second tranche of its Series B., according to a press release. Read more
1. Will Stryker bid on Smith & Nephew this week?
Stryker is free to make an offer for Smith & Nephew after a 6-month no-bid period elapsed last week, fueling speculation that the U.S orthopedics giant will move on its British rival.
Under British law Stryker was barred from bidding on Smith & Nephew after demurring in May. Read more