1. Merck inks exclusive licensing agreement for Alzheimer’s antibody
Merck announced in a May 25 press release that it has entered an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Teijin Pharma. The licensing agreement is going to help with the development, manufacture and commercialization of an investigation preclinical antibody candidate that targets the protein tau. Merck will have exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize the anti-tau antibody while Teijin Pharma will receive an upfront payment for development, regulatory and sales milestone payments. Teijin Pharma will also get royalties on product sales.
2. Thermi wins Brazilian nod for ThermiRF
Thermi has received regulatory clearance in Brazil to market and distribute its ThermiRF, according to a May 25 press release. ThermiRF is a temperature-controlled radiofrequency platform that can be used for a variety of aesthetic applications. MedSystems will also help Thermi expand its technology worldwide.
3. Life Spine receives approval for its new study
Life Spine announced in a May 17 press release that it has received approval for its open versus minimally invasive posterior lumbar spine surgery study. The study intended to help determine the outcomes of the surgery and which procedure is less traumatic to the patient while using Life Spine’s Nautilus Thoracolumbar Pedicle Screw System and Centerline Thoracolumbar Cortical Screw System. The study also wants to demonstrate muscular injury and recovery by comparing baseline preoperative electrodiagnostic functional assessment to postoperative tests to determine which surgical techniques resulted in faster recovery.
4. Janssen touts real-world data for type 2 diabetes drug
Janssen Pharmaceuticals is touting real-world evidence of the use of its type 2 diabetes oral medication Invokana, according to a May 5 press release. Patients who took 300 mg of Invokana were able to keep their A1C levels below 8% as compared to injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists. They were also less likely to stop using their medication or to be prescribed a new antihyperglycemic agent.
5. Procept BioRobotics touts BPH data for AquaBeam device
Procept BioRobotics touted data in a May 14 press release that outlines the early safety and efficacy endpoints from its global phase 3 water jet ablation therapy for endoscopic resection of prostate tissue (WATER) study. The study showed that Aquablation had strong efficacy outcomes when compared to transurethral resection of the prostate. The Aquablation is delivered using Procept BioRobotics’ AquaBeam System and uses a robot-controlled water jet to remove prostate tissue without needing heat. It was tested on 181 patients ages 45 to 80 who had urinary symptoms from benign prostatic hyperplasia.
6. China’s Lachesis integrates EarlySense patient monitoring tech
EarlySense and Shenzhen Lachesis Mhealth have teamed up to integrate EarlySense’s InSight into Lachesis’ new Intelligent Hospital Ward Solution, according to a May 15 press release. The Intelligent Hospital Ward Solution is designed to provide a complete suite of technology that helps advance and streamline healthcare flow and deliver more efficient and improved medical services. EarlySense’s contactless monitoring technology can be placed under a bed mattress to continuously monitor patient heart rate, respiratory rate and movement without ever needing to touch the patient. It uses advanced algorithms that can analyze 2 patient data points per second.
7. Masimo, Midmark ink integration deal
Midmark and Masimo announced in a May 15 press release that they have formed a partnership to improve the accuracy and efficiency of vital sign measuring in a clinical environment. Masimo’s SET pulse oximetry technology will become available with Midmark’s IQvitals Zone to give clinicians an accurate and real-time vital sign reading that includes oxygen saturation, pulse rate and perfusion index. Midmark’s IQvitals Zone is the first monitoring device that has Bluetooth low energy technology that can also auto-connect to during the vitals measuring process.
