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.
7. NEJM op-ed: Don’t repeal the medical device tax
A pair of Harvard Medical School physicians weighs in on the medical device tax in the New England Journal of Medicine, casting doubt on opponents’ arguments and saying it shouldn’t be repealed.
6. Report: Fewer angels and less early funding in 2012
Total U.S. angel investments in 2012 grew 1.8% compared to 2011, but there were fewer funders in the market and they were much less interested in early-stage investments, according to the UNH Center for Venture Research.
5. Edwards Lifesciences wants more from Medtronic over CoreValve infringement
A patent extension from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for its Sapien heart valve prompts Edwards Lifesciences to ask for additional damages in its infringement win over Medtronic’s rival CoreValve implant.
4. Update: Cook Medical recalls Zilver PTX delivery system following patient death
Cook Medical pulls its newly FDA-approved Zilver PTX drug-eluting stent from the shelves after receiving reports of 1 patient death and 1 injury possibly associated with breakage in the catheter delivery system.
3. Podcast: Healthcare giants unite to turn Big Data into medtech savings
A quartet of healthcare giants including UnitedHealth, the largest single health insurer in the U.S., joins forces for the SharedClarity project, aiming to leverage their combined Big Data to get the best devices for the best prices.
2. Building the E-bay of medical devices: A conversation with Aptitude’s Troy Kirchenbauer
MassDevice talks disruptive business models in the medical device and hospital world with Novation executive and aptitude vice president Troy Kirchenbauer.
1. Reports: Obamacare architect Baucus to step down at end of term
Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), 1 of the chief architects of the Affordable Care Act and the medical device tax, is reportedly stepping down at the end of this term, but what does that really mean for opponents of the tax?
