Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 3 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.

 

3. Smith & Nephew aims to halve ortho device prices with ‘no-frills’ option

Smith & Nephew CEO Olivier Bohuon said today that the medical device company’s new “no-frills” program for its orthopedics business aims to cut implant prices in half.

The program, called Syncera, is a bare-bones offering that doesn’t include extras such as logistical support or an on-site technician. Read more

2. Report: Medtech M&A exits don’t hinge on FDA approval

The funding environment for medical device startups isn’t a pretty scene, but there is a ray of sunshine through the gloom: lack of FDA approval is no longer a deal-breaker for a big exit.

In 2013 a few medtech companies managed “big exit M&A” deals (those worth $50 million or more) without having reached the FDA’s brass ring, according to a new report from Silicon Valley Bank. Read more

1. CardioMEMS’ 11-year payoff worth the wait for Boston Millennia Partners

The CardioMEMS story didn’t end when St. Jude Medical acquired the Georgia-based company in June, paying $375 million for the stake it didn’t already own, valuing the implantable heart failure monitor company at $463 million total.

But the deal did end an 11-year commitment by Boston, Mass.-based venture capital firm Boston Millennia Partners, which first put some skin in the CardioMEMS game in 2003, eventually joining 4 more financing rounds as CardioMEMS fought to bring its device to market in the U.S. Read more