MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) is looking to significantly boost its reach in China, country with "the world’s biggest diabetes epidemic," according to a local report.

Medtronic diabetes group president and executive vice president Hooman Hakami told ShanghaiDaily.com that he estimates China will one day account for 20% of the company’s global diabetes revenues, up from the 2.5% it represents today.

"We aim to expand our research and development capabilities and strengthen partnership with government authorities to offer Chinese patients cutting-edge products at more accessible prices," Hakami told the paper.

 Car seats that can read your heart rate
 Researchers from Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia are evaluating car seats with sensors that can read heart and respiratory rates in order to detect when drivers may need help.
Read more

 Medtronic seeks patent mitral valve
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) researchers have filed an application for patents pertaining to a mitral valve prosthesis and minimally invasive method of implantation.
Read more

 COPD costs the U.S. $36B, CDC says
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention estimate that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease costs the U.S. more than $32 billion each year in medical care and lost economic activity, adding that those costs may rise to $49 billion by 2020.
Read more

 Inversion talks may be more posture than performance
With corporate tax reform looming as a huge undertaking and elections just a few months away, it’s unlikely that Congress will make progress on efforts to take the wind out of corporate inversions, such as the one written into Medtronic’s (NYSE:MDT) $43 billion acquisition of Covidien (NYSE:COV), according to MinnPost’s Devin Henry.
Read more