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. HRS 2015: Boston Scientific touts cost-saving data for Watchman

Boston Scientific presented data it said shows the cost-effectiveness of its Watchman anti-stroke device compared with the blood-thinning drugs warfarin or aspirin.

“It’s actually really straightforward,” Stacey Amorosi, senior manager for health economics, told MassDevice.com last night at the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society in Boston. “You’re faced with the up-front, 1-time cost of the [Watchman] procedure. That initial cost impact is pretty quickly eroded by [the cost of] complications from Warfarin and aspirin.” Read more

2. Diabetes: Bigfoot Biomedical raises $3m

Bigfoot Biomedical, which is developing a “bionic pancreas,” said it raised $3 million from 8 unnamed investors.

Although it’s in stealth mode, Bigfoot executives have said they’d like to complete product development by 2016. The company’s executives include Bryan Mazlish, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation CEO Jeffrey Brewer and Jon Brilliant, the former CFO of Welldoc, according to a regulatory filing. Read more

1. Diabetes: BD wins FDA nod for infusion set

Becton Dickinson & Co. said the FDA cleared updated technology intended to improve an insulin pump’s performance.

The 510(k) clearance covers subsidiary BD Medical’s insulin infusion set using the new FlowSmart technology. This includes a side-ported catheter designed to improve insulin flow and reduce flow interruptions. BD said the infusion set also includes smaller insertion needles to help reduce patient pain and trauma. Read more