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The MassDevice Weekly Roundup brings you the latest medical device news and information.
The MassDevice Checkup
Our weekly checkup takes the temperature of the public medical device companies in the three largest markets in the U.S.: Massachusetts, Minnesota and California. In addition to the indices for each state, which track the overall movement of the sector, we compare Monday morning’s opening share prices with their value when the markets close Friday afternoon and calculate the biggest gainers and losers. Read More 
News
Covidien to drop $210 million for Aspect Medical Systems
The medical device monolith agrees to pay $12 per share for the Norwood, Mass.-based brain monitoring equipment maker. Read More
Argotec opens new HQ, plant
The Greenfield, Mass.-based thermoplastic film maker débuts a new, 95,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing plant. Read More
Hologic notches U.K. approval win
Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence approves the Bedford, Mass.-based women’s health firm’s Adiana female sterilization treatment. Read More
Insulet amends $60 million credit facility
The insulin management product maker uses stock to repay Deerfield Management the $28 million it’s already borrowed. Read More
FDA on ReGen’s Menaflex: Our bad
The Food & Drug Administration cops to undue influence from members of Congress and former commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach in its approval of the ReGen Biologics knee implant. Read More
Hedge fund continues to profit from NxStage dealing
Deerfield Management sells nearly 100,000 shares just before a one-day slump trims share prices by 4 percent. Read More
Caliper Life Sciences launches reagent line
The Hopkinton, Mass.-based lab equipment and services provider’s new line of optical imaging reagents hits the market. Read More
DePuy Spine to market genetic test for scoliosis
The Raynham, Mass.-based orthopedic device maker will offer Axial Biotech’s ScoliScore AIS Prognostic test, used to predict the progression of abnormal spinal curvature in children. Read More
Pressure BioSciences releases protein extraction kits
The Easton, Mass.-based pressure cycling technology maker débuts new sample prep kits for extracting proteins from nematode worms. Read More
Viacor co-founder, Cleveland Clinic doc joins Endovalve board
Marc Gillinov, head of the Cleveland Clinic’s atrial fibrillation center and a co-founder of the Wilmington, Mass.-based mitral valve repair firm, joins the advisory board of the New Jersey firm that’s developing a similar product. Read More
Abiomed touts improved heart function in Impella 2.5 patients
New clinical data show marked gains in blood flow, quality of life for Impella-treated patients after three years. Read More
Osmetech spikes distribution deal with Thermo Fisher unit
The molecular diagnostics maker moves to take its U.S. sales operation direct, canceling its distribution deal with Fisher HealthCare after less than six months. Read More
Boston Scientific takes a beating at TCT meeting
Natick-based Boston Scientific Corp. takes some licks at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting in San Francisco. Read More
Analogic Corp. ends “most challenging” year in company’s history with a loss
Peabody, Mass.-based medical imaging products maker swings to $285,000 in fourth-quarter red ink. Read More
Another study shows rapid tests miss Swine Flu
The U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services says to skip the tests and treat the flu right away. Read More
UMass med school gets $90 million from Mass. Life Sciences Center
The quasi-public agency’s largest investment to date will help fund a $405 million research center at the Bay State’s only public medical school in Worcester. Read More
BSX co-founder John Abele joins advisory board of Nanobiosym
Bedford, Mass.-based nanotechnology firm adds a big name to an already star-studded board. Read More
Cynosure gets regulatory nods in South Korea, China
The Westford, Mass.-based cosmetic device maker will sell its SmartLipo laser liposuction device in South Korea and its Affirm skin treatment device in China. Read More
I-Therapeutix changes its name to Ocular Therapeutix
The Waltham, Mass.-based ophthalmology firm re-brands as it chases Food & Drug Administration approval for its I-Zip ocular bandage. Read More
Cambridge Heart shifts its focus
The Tewksbury, Mass.-based cardiac monitor maker says its technology may be able to predict a precursor to heart attacks. Read More
FDA taps Institutes of Medicine for $1.3 million 510(k) process audit
The Food & Drug Administration commissioned the IOM for an in-depth examination of its medical device approval process. Read More
JP Morgan analyst: Device tax might be halved
Analyst Michael Weinstein says negotiations are under way to cut the proposed $4 billion tax. Read More
Cordis, Wyeth sue Abbott, Boston Scientific over coatings patent
Yet another chapter opens in the never-ending stent wars. Read More
Healthcare data analysis provider Humedica launches with $30 million
The Boston-based firm looks to cash in on comparative effectiveness. Read More
Bruker Biospin plans joint projects with Philips Electronics and Aspect Magnet Tech
Deals set to develop new imaging products aimed at diagnosis and research sectors; parent company also prices secondary offering of stock at $9.85 per share. Read More
New CMS dialysis reimbursement rules could help NxStage
New rules proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid governing reimbursement for dialysis treatments could be a boon to the Lawrence, Mass.-based renal products maker. Read More
Inverness to issue $100 million in senior notes to fund Free & Clear acquisition
The Waltham, Mass.-based diagnostics giant plans to offer the notes, due in 2016, to fund its buyout of the Seattle health management firm. Read More
Interleukin Genetics cites weight loss study
The genetic testing firm touts a study it says shows the efficacy of its weight management genetic test. Read More
Abiomed cites positive Impella 2.5 study
The cardiac assist device maker touts the USpella trial of its heart pump for cardiac interventions. Read More
Pluromed wins FDA approval for kidney stone treatment
The Woburn, Mass.-based polymer gel developer wins 510(k) approval from the FDA for its Backstop gel plug. Read More
Cordis Corp.’s small Cypher stent lands FDA approval
The Johnson & Johnson subsidiary wins a nod from the Food & Drug Administration for its 2.25mm Cypher drug-eluting stent. Read More
Boston Scientific: Hey, the Taxus ain’t so bad
The medical devices leviathan returns fire to Medtronic and Abbott. Read More
Abbott: Xience V is better than Taxus, too
The medical devices giant adds insult to injury for Boston Scientific. Read More
Marketing Mavens
Sponsored by Seidler Bernstein Word of mouth: Whose word, and whose mouth?
Thinking of starting a social media campaign? Be careful what you wish for — social networking sites and the Internet have utterly changed word-of-mouth marketing dynamics. Read More
Jobs
The MassDevice Career Connector: Open jobs in the medical device industry
Our jobs board has hundreds of open positions at medical device makers around the country. Read More
Features
MassDevice Q&A: Richard Packer
The CEO of Zoll Medical Corp. talks about healthcare reform and the Chelmsford, Mass.-based resuscitation products maker’s future. Read More
Blogs
MassDevice blog: Scenes from MIT’s EmTech Conference
The annual innovation conference begins its first day with a keynote by Institute Professor Robert Langer. Read More
Weekly Wireless Roundup: U-Minn Medical Center nurses ditch pagers
Nurses use ASCOM handsets instead of pagers; the home health monitoring market reached $11 billion in 2008; Center for Connected Health director Joseph Kvedar says the time is now; and a survey says connected health could pare healthcare costs by 40 percent. Read More
MedGadget’s MedTech Monday: Retinal implant brings Terminator-like eyes closer to reality
MIT researchers are working on a retinal implant that bypasses damaged retinal cells; medical robotics in the spotlight; Fitbit tracks your movements, day and night; and an implantable epilepsy device shows positive signs in a clinical study. Read More
Reimbursement Row: Can Congress keep its hands off healthcare policy?
Er, no. Congress’ inability to keep its hands off healthcare policy helped us into this mess in the first place. How can we expect it to fix the problems it helped create? Read More
Upcoming Events
Featured Events
Oct. 2, Boston — MassMEDIC’s Annual Investors Conference
“New England is a hotbed of cutting-edge research in the medtech industry. MassMEDIC is proud to offer an opportunity for regional promising early stage companies to showcase their technologies before an audience of potential investors and strategic partners. The Investors Conference has been a seminal event for medtech start-ups, more than 250 companies have participated in the Conference since 1999 — many making their debut before investors.”
Oct. 3, Cambridge, Mass. — Partners in Health Annual Symposium
“Speakers this year will include New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof, and PIH co-founders Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl, as well as speakers from PIH partner projects from around the world.”
Oct. 7, Waltham, Mass. — Medical Development Group Forum “Merging Mindsets: Device-Biotech Combination Products”
“Three experienced professionals in this area with different perspectives will make presentations that include a survey of drug-device combinations now being marketed and in the pipeline. Unmet medical needs that could potentially be treated with novel drug-device combinations. The kinds of critical issues that drug-device development teams must understand and address. Case history of successful drug-device product development”
Oct. 27-28, Waltham, Mass. — Medical Product Outsourcing Symposium East
“The practice of outsourcing continues to present challenges to medical devices manufacturers. This event is a high-level educational and networking program, designed to offer relevant information for solving business-critical issues in an environment that fosters interaction and industry development.”
Oct. 27-28, Boston, Mass. — CIMIT Innovation Congress 2009
“Accelerating Healthcare Solutions Through Technology: The CIMIT Innovation Congress is the premier event catalyzing innovations in medical device technology. It’s the only place where academia, government, industry, and the military convene to learn and network with national leaders who are shaping tomorrow’s healthcare solutions.”
Other events
Oct. 1, Boston — Life Science Licensing: Opportunities, Challenges and Traps Hosted by Mintz-Levin.
Oct. 1, Boston — Suffolk University Forum: Leading the Business of Life Sciences
Oct. 6, Boston — MassBio Investors Forum
Oct. 19-20, Lowell, Mass. — U.S./Ireland Emerging Technologies Conference
Oct. 23, Cambridge, Mass. — Healthcare and the Cloud
Oct. 26-27, Waltham, Mass. — New England-Israel Life Sciences Summit
Want to list your event on our weekly newsletter? Contact us at editor@massdevice.com.
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