FDA is warning of a possible shortage of sterilized medical devices — and an accompanying threat to public health — due to the recent shutdown of a Sterigenics plant in Willowbrook, Ill. linked to emissions of the highly carcinogenic chemical compound ethylene oxide. Agency officials believe that more than 100 medtech manufacturers and hundreds of devices may be […]
Sterilization / Calibration
Stericycle, investors agree on tentative $45m settlement over fraud charges
Stericycle (NSDQ:SRCL) last month agreed to a tentative settlement with investors who brought a putative class action against it over allegedly fraudulent business practices. The agreement follows a similar, nearly $27 million settlement approved in February 2016 of a whistleblower lawsuit that accused the Lake Forest, Ill.-based medical waste disposal firm of overbilling federal and state governments. […]
Sterility assurance tech dev Verrix raises $8m in Series B
Sterility assurance device developer Verrix said today that it raised $8 million in a Series B round of financing, lifting the total the company has raised so far to $17.5 million. The San Clemente, Calif.-based company said that funding from the offering will support finalizing the development, regulatory submission and eventual commercialization of its Verrix […]
Illinois EPA seeks temporary shutdown of Sotera Health’s Sterigenics plant
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is seeking an order to shut down operations at Sotera Health‘s Sterigenics‘ Willowbrook, Ill.-based facilities that result in the emission of ethylene oxide, a highly carcinogenic chemical compound, according to a government release posted on Tuesday. The agency is seeking an order that would prohibit operations resulting in such emissions until […]
Sterigenics faces lawsuit over ethylene oxide emissions
Sterigenics is facing a lawsuit over alleged emissions of ethylene oxide, a highly carcinogenic chemical compound, according to a press release from law firm Power Rogers & Smith of Chicago. The firm alleges that Sterigenic’s Willowbrook, Ill.-based facility has been using ethylene oxide to sterilize its medical devices, pharmaceuticals and food and spice products since 1984. […]
Cantel Medical to consolidate Minnesota operations
Cantel Medical (NYSE: CMD) recently purchased an office building in Plymouth, Minn., where it will consolidate four of its locations. The new, four-story, 159,000-square-foot building can accommodate up to 600 employees, according to the Little Falls, NJ-based company. “We are excited to purchase a new building to provide more space and capacity for our growing organization,” said […]
TSO3 drops Getinge, lands $20m debt round for Sterizone VP4
TSO3 (TSE:TOS) said today it is dropping a distribution agreement with Getinge and that it inked a $20 million debt financing deal with a fund under advisement by Courage Capital Management to support commercialization of its Sterizone VP4 sterilizer. The company’s Sterizone VP4 is a low-temperature sterilization system which uses dual-sterilants of vaporized hydrogen peroxide and ozone […]
Sterigenics expands in the UK
Sterigenics today announced plans to build a new facility in the Chesterfield/Derbyshire, U.K.’s Markham Vale North area as the company looks to expand its footprint in Europe. The 60,000 square-foot facility is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2018, with plans to install a Nordion JS10000 gamma irradiator with a research loop, […]
Bronchoscopes still dirty after cleaning, study says
A new study has found that currently acceptable methods of reprocessing reusable bronchoscopes left most devices contaminated and damaged. “The results are worrisome as patients undergoing bronchoscopy are commonly at high risk for infection due to transplant status, critical illness, or immune-suppression due to malignancy or chronic disease,” said the study, funded by 3M and […]
Fortive offers $2.8B for J&J’s advanced sterilization biz
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) said yesterday that industrial conglomerate Fortive (NTSE:FTV) made a binding offer to acquire the advanced sterilization business from J&J’s Ethicon division for approximately $2.8 billion. The deal includes $2.7 billion in cash and an additional $100 million in retained net receivables, New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson said. J&J’s advanced sterilization products biz […]
Stryker acquires single-use device reprocessor Hygia Health Services
Stryker (NYSE:SYK) said today it acquired single-use-device reprocessor Hygia Health Services for an undisclosed amount. Birmingham, Ala.-based Hygia has partnered with Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Stryker since 2015 to reprocess single-use devices, and Stryker said the acquisition will “further solidify the partnership.” Stryker said that Hygia’s product portfolio of air transfer mattresses, fall alarms, ECG leads, cerebral-somatic sensors […]