Teleflex (NYSE:TFX) subsidiary NeoTract said that two more health insurers have agreed to offer coverage for the company’s UroLift system or patients with an enlarged prostate. The Wayne, Penn.-based subsidiary of Teleflex said that major U.S. insurer Humana and the Motion Picture Industry Pension & Health Plans (MPI), administered by Anthem Blue Cross, have added UroLift to its […]
IEEE publishes safety standards draft for medtech interoperability
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standards Association said it has published a draft set of standards intended to provide safe and secure medical device interoperability. IEEE 11073-20701-2018, also known as IEEE Approved Draft Standard for Service-Oriented Medical Device Exchange Architecture & Protocol Binding, completes the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/IEEE 11073 family of standards for […]
161m medical device units recalled in Q4 2018
The number of medical device units recalled in the fourth quarter of 2018 skyrocketed by 449% to 161 million from the same quarter a year ago, according to a report by Stericycle Expert Solutions. Those figures made it the second highest quarter for medtech units recalled since at least 2004. Medical device recalls fell by 1%, lower […]
West Pharma’s SmartDose will deliver scPharmaceuticals’ edema drug
scPharmaceuticals’ (NSDQ:SCPH) has signed a development agreement to incorporate West Pharmaceutical Services’(NYSE:WST) SmartDose drug delivery system with Furoscix, a drug that scPharmaceuticals developed to treat edema in heart failure patients. Burlington, Mass.-based scPharmaceuticals recently completed preliminary feasibility studies of the drug-device combination. The testing included drug stability in the pre-filled cartridge, drug compatibility, and overall performance within […]
Check-Cap’s cancer screening capsule will have U.S. study
Check-Cap (NSDQ:CHEK) said its X-ray-enabled, colorectal cancer-screening capsule will have a pilot study in the United States. The Isfiya, Israel-based startup makes the C-Scan System, an ingestible capsule used to detect precancerous polyps without the need for laxatives or an invasive procedure. The C-Scan system uses an ultra-low dose X-ray capsule, an integrated positioning, control, and recording system, and proprietary […]
Brain tumor ‘monorail’ lands FDA breakthrough device nod
A “tumor monorail” that lures aggressive brain tumor cells to their death in an external container has won “breakthrough device” designation from FDA. The purpose of the device is not to destroy the glioblastoma tumor, but to halt its lethal spread, making the disease more of a condition to manage than a death sentence, according […]
Long-term stroke risk cut by carotid surgery or stenting
An international research team who compared the long-term effects of carotid artery surgery and stenting found the risk of stroke “remarkably low” even 10 years later, regardless of the type of procedure. Short-term stroke prevention was found to be better among surgery patients, but stenting technology has improved since these patients were implanted, said the study’s […]
New binoculars help cataract patients choose replacement lenses
Researchers in Spain have developed a device that simulates the improved vision that a cataract patient can have before corrective surgery even takes place. The scientists at the Spanish National Research Council’s Institute of Optics in Madrid compared the visual acuity obtained at different distances through a commercial trifocal lens (with focal points for close, intermediate […]
Palmaz Scientific investors lose in federal court
A federal judge in Dallas, Texas has dealt investors in the bankrupt Palmaz Scientific another blow, tossing five of their negligence claims against investment bank Jefferies & Co. Co-founded by coronary stent pioneer Dr. Julio Palmaz in 2008, San Antonio-based Palmaz Scientific tapped Jefferies for a $7.5 million fundraising round in 2010, according to the […]
Here’s how precision medicine could change medical imaging
The business of precision medical imaging is poised to take off in the next few years, according to a new analysis by Frost & Sullivan. The market research firm’s report, “Growth Opportunities in Precision Medical Imaging, Forecast to 2022,” said new technologies and processes in diagnostic and therapeutic imaging could spur the market to grow […]
Swedish patient receives ‘dexterous, sentient’ prosthetic hand
A Swedish woman with a hand amputation has become the first recipient of an osseo-neuromuscular implant to control a dexterous hand prosthesis, according to Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. Surgeons placed titanium implants in the two forearm bones (radius and ulna), and extended electrodes to nerves and muscle to extract signals to control a […]