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. Stryker alleges Medtronic colluded with patent troll for Kyphon IP

Stryker wants to drag Medtronic into a patent infringement lawsuit filed against it over vertebroplasty technology by alleged patent troll Orthophoenix as it seeks to assert anti-trust claims against Medtronic, Orthophoenix and its owner.

Orthophoenix was formed April 25, 2013, and bought the rights to Medtronic’s Kyphon IP the next day, according to court documents. Read more

2. FDA talks Twitter and other online etiquette for medtech makers

FDA regulators published a pair of new draft guidances this week to provide clarity on its stance regarding online communication in challenging situations, especially via character-constrained channels such as Twitter or when responding to misinformation posted online.

The 1st guidance offers recommendations on communicating through mediums that have character space limits, referencing Twitter’s 140-character Tweets and paid search links offered by web browsers, but also attempting to look to future channels. The guidance doesn’t impose any enforceable standards, but reflects “the Agency’s current thinking on a topic.” Read more

1. Seven questions raised by Medtronic’s $43B Covidien acquisition

With combined annual revenues at the $27 billion mark, the Medtronic-Covidien combination will rival Johnson & Johnson’s medical device operation in scale.

Along with another pending mega-deal, the $13 billion acquisition of Biomet by orthopedics rival Zimmer, the MDT/COV deal changes everything for the medtech industry, from small-cap players to the largest companies in the field. Read more