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O, O, O it’s magic, but can Oprah sell medical devices?

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Brian Johnson

What’s more coveted than a Super Bowl ring, a Pulitzer prize and an Academy Award — rolled up into one?

A mention from Oprah, that’s what.

If you’re like me, and you have a Google Alert set for Eleme (I seriously doubt that, unless you’re Nancy Briefs), you might have noticed an uptick in activity.

That’s because the Merrimack, N.H.-based maker of SmoothShapes, a non-invasive laser treatment that blasts away cellulite, was featured in the May 2009 issue of O. That would, of course, be the official magazine of the Opraverse.

Orthofix expects slight Q1 sales growth, earnings dip

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Orthofix International NV‘s preliminary first-quarter revenues and earnings numbers indicate flat sales and a slight dip in the bottom line, compared with the same period last year.

The McKinney, Texas-based orthopedic device manufacturer, which has a presence in Boston, said it expects sales for the three-month period ended March 31 to be around $129 million, compared to $128 million for the same period last year.

iCad’s breast biopsy software gets PMA clearance

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iCad Inc. got pre-market approval from the Food & Drug Administration for software it says will locate the best point to perform a needle biopsy of the breast.

The Nashua, N.H.-based computer-aided detection products maker said its PrecisionPoint product won 510(k) pre-market notification clearance from the federal watchdog agency March 31.

PrecisionPoint will be integrated into iCad’s CADvue breast MRI image review software.

Waters Corp. backs U.K. mass spectrometry research lab

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Waters Corp. inked a pact with England’s University of Warwick to develop mass spectrometry technoliges at a new research center funded by the Milford-based laboratory instruments maker.

The “Waters Centre for BioMedical Mass Spectrometry” at the university will provide scientists with access to state-of-the-art MS and liquid chromatography techniques.

BioSphere Medical inks Japanese distribution deal

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BioSphere Medical Inc. inked a deal with Nippon Kayaku Co. Ltd. to distribute two of its products in Japan.

The Rockland-based biotech firm said Nippon Kayaku will distribute its HepaSphere and Embosphere products, tiny “microspheres” used in embolotherapy procedures to treat uterine fibroids, hyper-vascularized tumors and vascular defects.

The terms of the deal call for the Japanese firm to handle and pay for the regulatory process there, “including performing any clinical studies that may be required as a condition to product registration.”

Orthofix named in a false claims complaint—again

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Orthofix International is one of the companies named in a whistleblower lawsuit accusing the group of bone-growth stimulator manufacturers of reimbursement fraud.

It’s not the first time the Boston-based orthopedics maker has run afoul of federal authorities and the False Claims Act. In 2003, the company agreed to pony up nearly $1.6 million to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to TRICARE, the military’s healthcare program.

Are VC funds really the same thing as hedge funds?

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What is the basic goal of venture capital? The answer is generally pretty straightforward: Trade cash for equity in companies with the hope of realizing outsized returns on those investments.

Isn’t that pretty much what hedge funds do? If both groups try to do the same thing, then shouldn’t they be regulated the same way?

I think this must have been U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s line of reasoning during his recent testimony before Congress.

Cynosure cuts staff, braces for heavy losses

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Cynosure Inc. is bracing for another hard landing after predicting a 60 percent revenue plunge for the first quarter of 2009.

The sales drop pushed the Westford-based cosmetic laser products maker into the red and forced officials to lay off 25 employees, about 10 percent of its total workforce.

CEO Michael Davin said the cuts were offset by the addition of 11 employees hired to open a direct sales office in Korea; accounting for the layoffs and new hires, the company has 271 workers worldwide, down from 288 at the end of 2008.

FDA issues worldwide recall for Teleflex Medical balloon pump catheter

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The Food and Drug Administration issued a Class 1 recall for one of Teleflex Medical‘s balloon pump catheters, due to a problem with the device’s electronic volume setting.

The federal watchdog agency said it received 25 complaints, but no reports of injuries, about a problem it described as a faulty volume connection for the Everett-based company’s 30cc, 40cc and 50cc Intra Aortic Balloon Pump catheters made by its Arrow International subsidiary.