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. Court approves Halt Medical’s bankruptcy sale
A Delaware state judge this week approved the bankruptcy sale of Halt Medical designed to keep its Acessa uterine fibroid treatment on the market.
The Brentwood, Calif.-based women’s health company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April, citing assets valued at $2.2 million as of March 31 but liabilities of about $156.3 million, including a $497,000 severance payment to former chief executive Jeffrey Cohen. Read more
4. Amaranth Medical looks to recapture the potential of bioresorbable scaffolds
Dr. Antonio Colombo had finished his presentation of 9-month data for Amaranth Medical‘s Aptitude sirolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffold when an audience member asked about adverse events.
He told the EuroPCR attendee that they hadn’t seen any adverse events related to the device during the trial – and that’s unusual. Bioresorbable scaffolds, like Abbott‘s Absorb, have been plagued with a myriad of troubling data suggesting that the technology is linked to thrombosis and target lesion failure. Read more
3. Smith & Nephew gets in on $19m Trice Medical Series C
Trice Medical said today it closed a $19.3 million Series C financing round, joined by major player Smith & Nephew, with funds slated to support US market penetration of its mi-eye2 orthopedic diagnostic device.
Newly invested Smith & Nephew was joined by Safeguard Scientifics, HealthQuest Capital, BioStar Ventures and other unnamed returning investors in the round. The U.K.-based company said it has raised $40.9 million to date. Read more
2. Teleflex’s Vascular Solutions recalls Venture catheters
Teleflex subsidiary Vascular Solutions is recalling its Venture line of catheters after discovering a manufacturing defect that could cause embolisms.
“After an internal investigation, VSI has concluded there is a potential for excess material used to manufacture the catheter to be present within the inner lumen of the distal catheter tip. It is possible that the excess material may separate from the catheter during a procedure, posing a potential risk of an embolism to the patient,” the company wrote in an April 25 letter to customers. Read more
1. Diabetes double play: Medtronic launches MiniMed 670G, Dexcom wins FDA nod for Android G5 app
Medtronic and Dexcom today announced respective wins for their diabetes care tech, with Medtronic launching its hybrid closed loop MiniMed 670G in the US and Dexcom winning an FDA nod for a Google Android G5 Mobile application.
Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic’s MiniMed 670G is designed to automatically track and adjust blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes, measuring blood glucose every 5 minutes and automatically administering or withholding insulin. Read more
