
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. Report: FDA doesn’t disclose most adviser’s ties to medtech
Although more than ⅓ of the 122 doctors who sit on FDA advisory panels for medical devices received some form of compensation from medtech companies, the federal watchdog agency only discloses a fraction of those links, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Members of the panels, which evaluate devices used in cardiology, gynecology and orthopedics for the FDA, received compensation including consulting fees, research grants, food, travel and lodging from medical device makers from 2012 through this year, according to the newspaper. But those payments or gifts are not usually disclosed by the agency, the Journal reported. Read more
2. CareFusion sets date for shareholder vote on Becton Dickinson merger
CareFusion set Jan. 21, 2015, as the date for a shareholder meeting on its pending, $12.2 billion merger with Becton Dickinson.
The deal, announced in early October, calls for each share of CFN stock to bring $49 in cash and 77.7% of a share of BDX stock, equating to roughly $10.1 billion in cash and about $21 billion in stock. Read more
1. CardioKinetix raises $50m, inks buyout deal with Edwards Lifesciences
CardioKinetix said it signed an exclusive option-to-buy agreement with Edwards Lifesciences in connection with a $50 million financing round.
The cardiac device company said that Edwards will have the right to purchase CardioKinetix if it reaches certain regulatory milestones. CardioKinetix is currently pursuing U.S. regulatory approval for its Parachute ventricular partitioning device, a treatment for heart failure. Read more