MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Med-tech titan Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) has ramped up lobbying efforts in the past few years, nearly doubling spending since four years ago.
The Minneapolis-based company, which donated a total of $2 million in 2007, has nearly doubled that figure during the first nine months of this year.
Medtronic has been particularly active in lobbying against the medical device excise tax.
The company’s name came up on six separate lobbying reports surrounding the bill, showing that it’s contributed $9,000 to Minnesota state legislator Rep. Erik Paulsen’s (R-Minn.) since 2009, OpenSecrets.org reported.
Paulsen has emerged as a prominent voice for the med-tech industry, promising to revamp FDA policies that he says are delaying life-saving technologies from hitting the U.S. market.
His med-tech tax repeal efforts hit a benchmark recently with 218 signatures from members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the minimum number of votes needed to pass the House.
Conservative judge upholds individual insurance mandate
Federal judge and well-known conservative Judge Laurence Silberman voted to uphold the individual insurance mandate in President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, a victory that holds little sway as the measure makes its way to the Supreme Court, Healthwatch reported. Meanwhile, Georgia became the 6th state to win a waiver on part of the health care law that requires insurers to spend 80 percent of their premiums on medical costs.
Viagra may fight melanomas
Viagra my improve tumor immunity by suppressing the effects of inflammation in patients with melanoma, according to a press release.
Indo-US MIM Tec spins out med-tech manufacturing arm
Components producer Indo-US MIM Tec’s board approved a measure to spin out it’s medical device contract manufacturing arm into a independent company headquartered in San Francisco, according to a press release.
IOM calls for greater oversight of med-tech software
A new Institute of Medicine report recommends the Dept. of Health & Human Services take a greater role in ensuring that medical device software is safe and that adverse events are reported, HIStalk reported.