Say hello to MassDevice +7, a bite-sized view of the top seven med-tech stories of the week. This latest feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our seven biggest and most influential stories from the week’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
If you read nothing else this weekend, make sure you’re still in the know with MassDevice +7.
7. J&J ditches DePuy trauma business ahead of Synthes merger
Biomet signed a binding offer to acquire the DePuy Orthopaedics global trauma business from Johnson & Johnson for $280 million in cash, in a deal aimed at appeasing European regulators over the health care giant’s proposed $21.3 billion Synthes buyout.
6. Medical Device Tax: Ten companies in line for a whack
Ten of the companies slated to take a 2.3% hit to their top lines next year could also see huge whacks to their bottom lines, according to a MassDevice.com analysis.
5. St. Jude slumps on another lead recall
St. Jude Medical shares dip 5.3% on news of another defibrillator lead recall similar to the defect that launched the high-profile Riata recall.
4. Philips Healthcare CEO Rusckowski on the device tax: “It’s not good”
The CEO of Philips health care tells MassDevice.com why 2011 was a tough year for the world’s 7th-largest medical device maker, why things are looking up this year and how innovation can go hand-in-hand with lower costs.
3. Ex-Medicare chief Berwick: “The medical device industry is doing a lot to protect patients”
Erstwhile Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services chief Dr. Donald Berwick tells MassDevice.com that, despite a clutch of headline-grabbing recalls, medical device makers are doing good work for patients.
2. Med-tech trends: Zimmer, Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, Covidien and St. Jude most talked about device companies in March
MassDevice.com looked at some of the most talked-about medical device companies, based on trends in U.S. Google searches for the last 30 days.
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1. Medical device tax tab now at $30.5B
The medical device tax will raise 50% more than the $20 billion the government said was needed to pay for med-tech’s share of health care reform, with official government estimates pegging the total tab over 10 years at $30.5 billion.
