Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three medtech 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.
3. TAVI: St. Jude Medical can resume Portico trial
St. Jude Medical, which paused implantations of its Portico replacement heart valve last fall out of an abundance of caution, won the FDA’s approval to resume U.S. implants of the device in a clinical trial, the company said.
Back in September 2014, St. Jude said CT scans turned up a potential problem with the Portico valves in “a small number of cases,” in which “reduced valve mobility” was seen in patients after 4D CT scans at 30 days. Portico is a transcatheter aortic valve implant designed to treat aortic stenosis. European authorities reinstated Portico’s CE Mark in March. Read more
2. NeuroMetrix raises $14.7m
NeuroMetrix said that it raised $14.7 million in its most recent funding round.
Waltham, Mass.-based NeuroMetrix said it sold 147,000 shares at $100 per share and repurchased all of the outstanding shares of its Series A-4 convertible preferred stock for approximately $3.2 million. Read more
1. Smith & Nephew pulls Birmingham knee components
Smith & Nephew said it’s voluntarily yanking some of the smaller components used with its flagship Birmingham hip replacement, after reviewing data showing that the smaller devices have a higher revision rate that larger sizes.
The British orthopedic device maker said a review of data in the U.K.’s National Joint Registry of England & Wales found revision rates in men implanted with the smaller devices, and all women, “exceed the current benchmark established by the U.K. National Institute for Health & Care Excellence. Read more
