Steris (NYSE:STE) announced today that it will acquire Cantel Medical (NYSE:CMD) for $4.6 billion — a major merger in the infection prevention space. The deal is expected to close by June 30, pending customary closing conditions, regulatory approvals and an OK by Cantel shareholders. News of the merger comes a month and a half after Steris closed […]
Laura Francis to move up to CEO spot at Si-Bone
Si-Bone (NSDQ:SIBN) will promote its present CFO and COO Laura Francis into the corner office of the company, which makes the iFuse implant for treating lower back pain. Francis will become CEO once the company finds a new CFO or May 1 — whatever comes first. Present CEO Jeff Dunn will stay with the company as […]
Stryker acquires OrthoSensor and its knee surgery sensor tech
Stryker (NYSE:SYK) announced today that it has bought privately-held OrthoSensor and its Verasense intraoperative sensor tech that could further enhance the ortho giant’s Mako robots. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Stryker officials in a news release noted that Verasense since 2011 has proved itself to be a unique knee balancing solution in […]
Zimmer Biomet wants federal judge to dismiss former SVP’s discrimination case
Zimmer Biomet is asking a federal judge to end a years-old case in which a former SVP claims the company discriminated against her by not granting her severance pay after her resignation. In a Dec. 22 filing in support of summary judgment in federal court in Northern Indiana, lawyers for the Warsaw, Ind.–based orthopedics giant […]
Cook Medical has a serious catheter recall
FDA has designated Cook Medical‘s recall of its Flexor Check-Flo introducers and Flexor tuohy-borst side-arm introducers as Class I, its most serious level. Cook Medical initiated the recall on Nov. 24. It involves 37,326 of the devices, which are used to deliver medical devices to blood vessels (though not vessels of the heart and brain). […]
The top 5 orthopedic device industry stories of 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic presented a host of challenges, but major mergers in the orthopedic device space still got done. A deadly coronavirus pandemic is certainly not a good environment for people to go in for knee and hip surgeries. But even amid a tough business climate, orthopedic device companies worked through big M&A deals, and […]
These 10 stories mattered the most for medtech in 2020
COVID-19 dominated the news, but there was so much more going on in medtech. Let’s face it: These are soul-trying times, and no one is going to miss 2020. We’re leaving behind a year of tragedy and disaster — with the COVID-19 pandemic and its more than 1.6 million deaths (more than 300,000 in the […]
FDA allows virtually-guided, at-home use of Abbott’s rapid COVID-19 test cards
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) announced today that FDA has granted an EUA for virtually-guided, at-home use of the company’s BinaxNow COVID-19 Ag Card. Abbott has partnered with digital health provider eMed to provide telehealth-supported, at-home, prescription use of the cards, which run at $25 apiece. Similar in design to some pregnancy tests, the cards produce results within minutes […]
Smith + Nephew touts clinical results for its for its total hip arthroplasty offerings
Smith+Nephew (LON:SN) is touting what it is describing as outstanding clinical results for its total hip arthroplasty (THA) portfolio. The results — in both the National Joint Registry for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (NJR) and the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR) — involve Smith+Nephew’s POLAR3 total hip offering. The POLAR3 combines S+N’s Polarstem cementless […]
GE Healthcare helps set up a ‘Virtual ICU’ across Oregon
As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages rural areas in the U.S., GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) is touting “Virtual ICU” technology as a way to allow people with severe cases to stay near their homes. The medtech giant today announced a multi-year agreement with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to help intensivists virtually connect with ICU patients across […]
FDA allows Medtronic to integrate high-speed drills into Mazor robotic system
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) announced today that FDA has cleared the integration of Midas Rex high-speed drills — as well as utilization of navigated interbody features — into the Mazor Robotic Guidance System. FDA clearance for the integration into the robotic spine surgery system came sooner than expected, according to Medtronic. “Operating rooms are very complex environments, and […]