Renal denervation isn't dead, despite Medtronic trial's failure

September 2, 2014 by Brad Perriello

The failure of Medtronic’s Symplicity-3 trial earlier this year doesn’t mean the end of renal denervation for hypertension, especially in Europe.

That’s because physicians there, where the procedure is approved, have come to rely on it to treat patients whose high blood pressure doesn’t respond to medications. But the rigorous structure of the Symplicity-3 trial, which included a sham control arm, set a high bar for future studies. Read more

Baxter says HQ will stay in Illinois, stays coy on Boston plans

August 29, 2014 by Brad Perriello

Baxter yesterday sought to quell rumors that it’s planning to move its headquarters to Boston, saying it will maintain its home base in Deerfield, Ill., even after the spinout of its pharmaceuticals business.

Speculation on the potential move was prompted yesterday by a Boston Business Journal report that Massachusetts officials were working on a secret plan dubbed “Project Tiger” to lure Baxter to the Bay State. Read more

Private equity owners rebrand KCI, Systagenix, LifeCell as Acelity

September 3, 2014 by Brad Perriello

The private equity owners of a trio of wound care and regenerative medicine companies said today that they’re merging Kinetic Concepts Inc., Systagenix and LifeCell into a single entity called Acelity.

“Coming together as a united company enables us to deliver on our vision of restoring people’s lives with a portfolio of complementary healing solutions. The combined knowledge of our team and global footprint allow us to continue advancing standards of patient care,” president & CEO Joe Woody said in prepared remarks. “We are committed to our mission of developing a portfolio of solutions that speed healing, reduce complications and lead the industry in quality, safety and customer experience.” Read more