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. Boston Scientific, Bard CEOs cool on consolidation

The chief executives at Boston Scientific and C.R. Bard said this week that they’re cool on the consolidation trend sweeping the medical device sector.

Discussing their respective results for the 3rd quarter, the CEOs – Boston’s Mike Mahoney and Bard’s Tim Ring – each said a mega-merger along the lines of Medtronic’s $43 billion Covidien buy or Zimmer’s $13 billion union with Biomet doesn’t make sense for their businesses. Read more

2. Auditors: FDA needs to boost cybersecurity

Federal auditors have determined the FDA needs to ramp up its cybersecurity efforts in order to deter hackers.

Auditors for the U.S. Health & Human Services Dept.’s Inspector General’s Office tested many of the FDA’s IT systems in the wake of a security breach last October that exposed approximately 14,000 user accounts. Read more

1. Jury clears DePuy in 1st Pinnacle bellwether trial

A federal jury in Dallas today reportedly cleared Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy Orthopaedics unit in the 1st product liability lawsuit over its Pinnacle hip implant to go to trial.

The jury unanimously found in favor of DePuy on all counts, according to news reports, rejecting plaintiff Kathleen Herlihy-Paoli’s claims for negligence, defective design, failure to warn and violations of the Montana Consumer Protection Act after an 8-week trial in Texas. Read more