Say hello to MassDevice +5, a bite-sized view of the top five medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 5 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.
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5. Senate panel confirms Price as HHS chief
The Senate Finance Committee confirmed U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) to head the Health & Humans Services Dept., despite Democrats boycotting the meeting. Republicans on the panel suspended the rule that required at least 1 Democrat to be present and sent the nominee to the Senate floor, where he is likely to be confirmed.
The committee also confirmed banker Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary. Read more
4. Becton Dickinson’s Q1 sales, earnings top forecasts
Becton Dickinson & Co. beat the consensus forecast for both sales and earnings with its fiscal 1st-quarter results, sending share prices up ahead of the open today.
Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based BD posted profits of $562 million, or $2.58 per share, on sales of $2.92 billion for the 3 months ended Dec. 31, mounting a 145.4% bottom-line increase despite losing -2.1% from the top line compared with Q1 2016. Read more
3. FDA warns device makers over unapproved claims
U.S. FDA recently released 2 warning letters to companies that it claims are marketing products for unapproved medical uses.
London-based Medical Specialties of California UK has sold its Penguin Cold Caps in the U.S. for the purpose of reducing hair loss for chemotherapy patients, according to FDA. Santa Ana, Calif.–Rapid Release Technologies has meanwhile gone beyond the claims of standard therapeutic vibrator and heat pad devices when it comes to its RRT PRO2, FDA said. Read more
2. Boston Scientific swings to black for Q4, 2016
Boston Scientific put black ink in the ledger for the 4th quarter and 2016 today, beating the sales and earnings consensus for both periods in the process.
The Marlborough, Mass.-based medical device company posted profits of $124 million, or 9¢ per share, on sales of $2.19 billion for the 3 months ended Dec. 31, for a 10.8% top-line gain compared with Q4 2015, when Boston Scientific put up a loss of -$142 million. Read more
1. 11 surgical robotics companies you need to know
Robotic surgery is taking off, and the field is becoming increasingly diverse. We’ve collected information on the biggest players in the field so far.
Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci robot remains the premier surgical robotics company, with other companies including Stryker and Zimmer-Biomet only getting into the field in recent years. Read more
