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. Novel AF cath developer Apama Medical raises $9m
Novel catheter ablation tech developer Apama Medical raised $9 million in a new round of equity financing, according to an SEC filing posted today.
Apama Medical is developing novel ablation catheter technology to combine “the best elements of existing ablation technology while incorporating additional unique features to address gaps in current technology,” according to it’s website. Read more
4. Medtronic launches VariLock plate system in China
Medtronic said today it is launching its VariLoc locking compression plate system designed for treating bone fractures in China and a select number of other countries.
The VariLoc system is designed with variable angle locking technology to allow surgeons to adapt screw angulations to specific patient anatomy, capture fracture fragments, fine-tune screw trajectory post-plate placement and position screws to avoid unnecessary penetration of nearby joints, the Fridley, Minn.-based company said. Read more
3. Philips shares rise on Street-topping Q2
Royal Philips saw shares tick up today after reporting Street-topping profits for its 2nd quarter.
The company reported profits of $431 million, or 46¢ per share, on sales of $5.9 billion for the 3 months ended June 30. That amounts to a 57.3% bottom-line gain even as sales shrunk 1.9% compared to the same period in 2015. Earnings per share grew a hefty 53.3% from 2015. Read more
2. Bigfoot Biomedical launches artificial pancreas trial
Bigfoot Biomedical is launching a clinical trial of its Smartloop automated insulin delivery system at medical centers in California and Colorado.
The Milpitas, Calif.-based company said it has enrolled its 1st patients in a trial of its Smartloop device that will be conducted at three sites: Stanford University School of Medicine (working with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Stanford Children’s Health in Palo Alto), the William Sansum Diabetes Center in Santa Barbara, and the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colo. Read more
1. FDA rejects Ocular Therapeutix’ Dextenza post-operative pain indication
Ocular Therapeutix said today it received a complete response letter from the FDA denying approval for its Dextenza for an indication for treating ocular pain occurring after ophthalmic surgery.
Ocular Therapeutix’s Dextenza, formerly known as OTX-DP, is designed to deliver sustained dosage of dexamethasone over 4 weeks using a hydrogel plug inserted into a tear duct. The plug then dissolves and is flushed from the body as tears. Read more
