
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. Medtronic drops $200M on Dutch DBS firm Sapiens
Medtronic said today that it paid $200 million in cash to acquire Sapiens Steering Brain Stimulation and its deep-brain stimulation technology, even as it gears up to pay $43 billion for Covidien.
Eindhoven, Holland-based Sapiens is developing a DBS device with a lead featuring 40 stimulation points that’s designed for more precise stimulation of targeted areas of the brain, according to a press release. Read more
2. World’s 1st 3D-printed vertebra goes to a 12-year-old boy
In a breakthrough surgery a team of physicians at Peking University implanted a 3D-printed vertebra for the 1st time in a 12-year-old boy with a malignant tumor on his spinal cord.
The doctors replaced a piece of the patient’s spine with 3D-printed material, shaping the implant with pores that will allow bones to grow in and hold it in place. Because 3D-printing allows for new, more complex-shaped implants, doctors didn’t need any screws or cement to hold the artificial vertebra in place, Forbes reported. Read more
1. Medtronic CEO targets 40% share of patient monitoring market after Covidien deal’s close
Medtronic could wind up taking a 40% share of the patient monitoring market after the close of its $43 billion COV acquisition, Medtronic CEO Omar Ishrak told employees last week.
That’s because Covidien already enjoys a 15% share, which Medtronic could augment via acquisition, Ishrak explained during a “town hall” meeting August 22. Read more