My colleage Gary Schwitzer at HealthNewsReview.org has a post today questioning the validity of observational studies (where epidemiological researchers look at selected variables in large populations to see if there is a relationship between a cause and effect).
Research & Development
Hip Study: Smith & Nephew touts study results for new metal-on-metal implants
British orthopedic titan Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) touted the results of a 10-year study of its metal-on-metal hip resurfacing implants, hoping to differentiate its implants from the high-profile recall of rival DePuy’s ASR device.
MassDevice.com +3 | The top 3 med-tech stories for March 8, 2012.
Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three med-tech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 3 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
If you read nothing else today, make sure you’re still in the know with MassDevice +3.
Covidien beefs up R&D, aims for 50 new products over 2 years
Covidien (NYSE:COV) said it launched 4 new research & development centers across the globe in hopes of releasing more than 50 new products over the next 2 years.
The new R&D facilities are located in Boulder, Colo.; Hyderabad, India; Irvine, Calif.; and Trevoux, France.
St. Jude’s Riata recall evidence of nationwide issue, doc says | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — The problems with St. Jude Medical’s (NYSE:STJ) recalled Riata defibrillator leads should have been caught sooner, according to a prominent heart doctor.
Dr. Robert Hauser, of the Minneapolis Heart Institute, in an article for the New England Journal of Medicine, wrote that problems with the leads, which remain active in an estimated 79,000 U.S. patients, went uncovered for too long because of lax post-market surveillance.
Diabetes: Medtronic creeps closer to an artificial pancreas for the U.S. market
Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT) crept closer to realizing an artificial pancreas for diabetics with the release of clinical trial results finding that its MiniMed Paradigm insulin delivery system met clinical endpoints with low-glucose suspend technology.
MassDevice.com +3 | The top 3 med-tech stories for February 28, 2012.
Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three med-tech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 3 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
If you read nothing else today, make sure you’re still in the know with MassDevice +3.
Baxter launches stem cell trial for chronic heart condition
Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) launched a Phase III pivotal trial of adult stem cell therapy for treating a heart condition called chronic myocardial ischemia.
Baxter hopes to use patients’ own stem cells to restore blood flow in CMI, 1 of the most severe forms of coronary artery disease which often doesn’t respond to medical management or surgery.
Study: Stents no better than pills for some heart patients | MassDevice.com On Call
Updated: March 15, 2012 9:30 a.m.
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Stable heart disease patients were no better off with a stent with less-costly drug therapy in a recent study comparing the 2 treatments. *
Implanting a stent to prop open blocked arteries represents a more costly alternative that failed to improve outcomes in stable patients, according to researchers from the Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York.
Our conflicted conflicts
This week’s Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a lengthy conflict of interest correction by Eugene Braunwald, editor of one of our iconic textbooks of cardiology and author of over 1000 peer-reviewed cardiovascular publications:
Even working Fidelis leads need replacement, researchers say
Medtronic’s (NYSE:MDT) precedent-setting Sprint Fidelis recall isn’t aging well, according to researchers.
Looking at numbers for nearly half of all Sprint Fidelis implants in Canada, the rate of failure appears to be climbing, prompting some doctors to recommend that the devices be replaced before they show signs of failure.