Siemens Healthineers (ETR: SHL) said today that it has started worldwide shipments of its COVID-19 antibody test, with a goal of producing 50 million tests per month as the pandemic evolves. The German medtech giant also announced that FDA has granted an emergency use authorization for its PCR Fast Track Diagnostics (FTD) SARS-CoV-2 Assay6 test kit. Both […]
Abbott to supply millions of its COVID-19 antibody tests to U.K. government
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) will supply millions of its laboratory-based COVID-19 antibody tests to the U.K.’s National Health Service over the coming months under a contract announced today. The company has already shipped 800,000 of the IgG antibody test to NHS laboratories this week. The news comes on the same day that Abbott said that Health Canada has […]
Medtronic misses mark in Q4 as sales decline 26%
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) announced fourth-quarter results today that were even worse than expected, but the world’s largest medical device company is still upping its dividend and investing in future growth. The Fridley, Minn.–based medtech giant reported profits of $646 million, or $0.48 per share, on sales of $6.0 billion for the three months ended April 24, 2020, […]
This patient-mover got an emergency COVID-19 nod from the FDA
AR Tech, a division of A&R Tarpaulins, announced today that the FDA has granted an EUA for its Patient Isolation Transportation Unit (PITU) to help hospitals better manage the COVID-19 pandemic. “PITU is a game-changer in this fight against the pandemic because it is a negative pressure isolation enclosure that makes working with highly contagious […]
What medtech’s top CEOs are saying about COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic is drying up sales for many large medical device companies, but there’s hope for a recovery later this year. That’s the big message from medtech’s top CEOs as they issue financial predictions and engage in earnings calls with analysts. Governments around the world are calling on medical device companies to make the […]
AtriCure to raise $100m from public offering
AtriCure (NASDAQ:ATRC) said today that it commenced a public offering to issue and sell roughly $100 million worth of its common stock. The Mason, Ohio–based company — maker of treatments for atrial fibrillation (Afib) and left atrial appendage (LAA) management — said it plans to grant the underwriters of the offering a 30-day option to […]
Zoll Medical returns HHS funds meant to support health providers
Zoll Medical said today that it’s returning money that it automatically received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ $50 billion Cares Act Provider Relief Fund. “Although we meet all of the qualifications for the funds we received and could fully comply with the terms and conditions required to keep the funds, we […]
FDA OKs Aspenstate’s portable X-ray for COVID-19 fight
Aspenstate announced today that FDA has cleared its Airtouch portable X-ray, which the Plano, Texas–based company is touting as a simple frontline chest X-ray tool to help diagnose COVID-19. Airtouch boasts a number of potentially useful features that could enable high-volume screening: It’s lightweight at 5.5 lb and handheld. The high-performance battery charges within two […]
Dexcom to raise $850m from senior notes offering
Dexcom (NSDQ:DXCM) said today that it plans to offer an $850 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2025. The San Diego-based continuous glucose monitoring systems company also plans to offer note purchasers a 13-day option to buy up to an additional $150 million aggregate principal amount of notes. Dexcom plans to use $600 […]
Zimmer Biomet loses $509m in Q1, expects significant negative impact in Q2
Zimmer Biomet (NYSE:ZBH) today reported first-quarter results that failed to meet the consensus forecast on Wall Street, with the company warning that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a “significant negative impact” in Q2. The Warsaw, Ind.–based orthopedic device giant lost $509 million, or –$2.46 per share, on sales of $1.78 billion for the three months ended […]
FDA authorizes Quidel antigen test for rapid COVID-19 detection
FDA has issued a first-of-its-kind emergency use authorization for Quidel‘s COVID-19 antigen test, which enables rapid diagnosis of virus infection. San Diego–based Quidel describes the Sofia 2 SARS Antigen FIA as a rapid point-of-care test to be used with the Sofia 2 fluorescent immunoassay analyzer. It can produce results in 15 minutes. Cardinal Health, Fisher […]