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. This surgical glue seals wounds in 60 seconds
A potentially life-saving surgical glue that is highly elastic and adhesive can quickly seal wounds in seconds without the need for common staples or sutures.
The surgical glue, called MeTro, is a development from biomedical engineers at the University of Sydney and biomedical engineers from Harvard University. Read more
4. Pixium Vision wins French approval for Prima sub-retinal implant study
Pixium Vision said today it won approval from France’s regulatory agency to launch a feasibility clinical study of its next-gen Prima sub-retinal implant in patients with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration.
The Prima system is a next-gen wireless implant with a micro photovoltaic chip designed to be implanted under the retina to convert pulsed near-infra-red invisible light received from external glasses with an integrated mini-camera into electrical signals transmitted to the brain through the optic nerve, the company said. Read more
3. Report: Former Eli Lilly exec Azar considered front-runner for HHS spot
The Trump administration is giving top consideration to former Eli Lilly executive and George W. Bush admin official Alex Azar to operate as head of the Health and Human Services, according to a Politico report.
A White House official said that Trump has signed off on Azar, while other officials commented that he had been shortlisted and warned that the decision wouldn’t be final until a formal announcement had been made, according to the report. Read more
2. Insulet, Dexcom partner to lure ex-Animas users
Insulet and Dexcom yesterday floated a joint promotion aimed at luring users of the Animas insulin pump after Johnson & Johnson bails out of the insulin pump biz.
The companies are hoping to chip off a piece of the diabetes market from Medtronic, to which J&J has offered to help some 90,000 Animas patients transfer (J&J is also evaluating another of its diabetes businesses, LifeScan, which makes the OneTouch line of blood glucose monitoring products). Read more
1. Johnson & Johnson to acquire German surgery software maker Surgical Process Institute
Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay an unspecified amount to acquire Germany’s Surgical Process Institute, which makes software for standardizing and digitizing surgical workflows.
The SPI Surgical Procedure Manager software is designed to generate a step-by-step checklist to ensure that “important safety checks are completed every time, in the same order, and all supporting processes are harmonized,” J&J said. Read more
