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.
Get this in your inbox everyday by subscribing to our newsletters.
5. 5 DeviceTalks Boston exhibitors you should know
DeviceTalks Boston is an annual event that allows some of the best minds in medtech to exchange ideas, insights and technologies.
The event is hosted by MassDevice. Those who attend the event can expect to network with other medtech enthusiasts, attend in-depth interviews with leaders in the industry and panel discussions about medical devices and the medtech industry. Read more
4. Abbott wins MR-conditional label for Ellipse ICDs
Abbott said today that it won an MR-conditional label from the FDA for the Ellipse implantable cardioverter defibrillator it acquired along with St. Jude Medical early this year.
The MR-conditional label applies to Ellipse and the Tendril MRI pacing lead and the Durata and Optisure high-voltage leads, the Chicago-area medical device giant said. Read more
3. W.L. Gore loses bid to toss verdict in stent graft patent loss to C.R. Bard
A Delaware federal judge this week dismissed an attempt from W.L. Gore & Associates to clear a jury finding from March which ruled that 1 of its stent patents was invalid in an ongoing patent spat with C.R. Bard, Law360 reports.
U.S. District Judge Leonard Stark denied 3 motions for judgement, including 2 motions arguing that the judge should find the patent not invalid, according to the report. Read more
2. Ethicon, JNJ escape Acclarent whistleblower’s retaliation suit
Allegations from a former Acclarent sales rep claiming she was fired for submitting a false claims report were kept alive this week by a Massachusetts magistrate judge, but the same allegations against Acclarent parent companies Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon were thrown out, according to a Law360 report.
The former sales rep Melanie Lokosky claimed that Acclarent falsely reported functionality of a spacer device, claiming it was designed to deliver salt water to win regulatory approval. However, after winning approval, the rep claims the company marketed the device to deliver a steroid and had never intended it as a delivery device for salt water, according to the report. Read more
1. Analyst: Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria expected to have impact on med device revenue
The combination of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria are expected to have at least a net 1% impact on US med device revenue for the 3rd quarter, according to a Barclay’s note to investors from analyst Matt Taylor.
The disruptions from Maria could extend their impact into the 4th quarter, according to Taylor, who said that most companies have not yet quantified the impact of the most recent hurricane, Maria, on their production and manufacturing facilities. Read more
