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. Invacare shutters Chinese manufacturing plant
Invacare said today it closed its manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China as it continues along the 2nd phase of a strategic transformation.
The Elyria, Ohio-based company said that production from the facility has been transferred to operations located “closer to its regional customers,” according to a press release. Read more
4. Acessa Health closes bankruptcy buyout of Halt Medical, raises $30m
Acessa Health said today that it closed the bankruptcy buyout of Halt Medical and promptly raised a Series A round worth $30 million.
The Acessa device is designed to treat uterine fibroids using radiofrequency ablation. Its successor namesake emerged after a Delaware federal bankruptcy judge earlier this month approved the bankruptcy sale, which was designed to keep the Acessa treatment on the market. Read more
3. Medtronic inks diabetes deal with Aetna
Medtronic said today that it inked a deal with health insurer Aetna to measure outcomes for patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes on multiple daily insulin injections.
The program is designed for patients who elect to move to an insulin pump, using a Medtronic pump with its SmartGuard tech and its MiniMed 670G system. Read more
2. Abbott warns on communication issue with HeartMate 3 pump
Abbott earlier this month warned physicians about a potential communication problem with its HeartMate 3 implantable cardiac pump.
In a June 7 letter, Abbott said it received “limited” reports of communication errors between the HeartMate 3’s system controller and the pump itself, the next-generation left ventricular assist device that came to the company after its acquisition of St. Jude Medical. Read more
1. Report: Mystery snafu takes out Medtronic’s computers
A mystery snafu reportedly took out the global computer systems at Medtronic last week, but there’s no sign that the problem came from outside the company.
The Fridley, Minn.-based medical device titan had restored some of the system by June 22, a spokesman told the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and the interruption is not expected to have a material impact on finances as the company investigates the cause. Read more
