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. Medical device tax: Partisan furor continues in Massachusetts
Pundits and prospective lawmakers use the medical device tax to target opponents in Massachusetts, as more legislators sign on for repeal.
6. FDA panel wants a closer look at St. Jude’s Amplatzer data
An FDA advisory panel recommended taking a closer look at safety data from St. Jude Medical’s Amplatzer heart implant, now that more is known about the device after more than a decade on the market.
5. Device hacking: Federal agencies urge heightened review of device cybersecurity
A handful of federal agencies are calling for increased surveillance of medical device cybersecurity, fearing that newer generations of products with wireless internet connectivity are vulnerable to "malicious tampering."
4. Does a robot-assisted prostatectomy cost more?
A new study says that robot-assisted prostatectomy may be a cost-sink, but Intuitive Surgical says that the study is an "outlier."
3. Senate passes FDA user fee bill with bipartisan blessing
Members of the Senate pass the latest iteration of the FDA’s user fee act, granting the federal watchdog agency continued authority to charge medical device and drug companies for product review.
2. Medical device tax: Repeal to get House vote following Memorial holiday
House Republicans are set to push a vote on Erik Paulsen’s (R-Minn.) medical device tax repeal bill following the Memorial Day break, while GOP Senators push repeal efforts alongside discussions on reauthorization of the FDA’s user fees.
1. Medtronic’s CRM and spine units continue to struggle, layoffs ahead
Medtronic announces layoffs of about 1,000 from various divisions as the company’s cardiac rhythm management and spinal products see continued declines, but the slump may be slowing.
