
The Canadian health ministry approved a line of radiofrequency ablation systems made by Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.
Health Canada gave the nod to the Minneapolis medical device maker’s Genius multi-channel radiofrequency generator and an anatomically shaped mapping and ablation catheter for the pulmonary vein.
Medtronic said the approval is contingent on providing periodic clinical updates detailing the safety and effectiveness of the device.
The Genius technology comes out of the company’s acquisitions of Carlsbad, Calif.-based Ablation Frontiers Inc. for at least $225 million in February 2009. Medtronic rolled that pickup and CryoCath Technologies Inc. of Montreal, which it bought for about $380 million in 2008, into its AF Solutions business. CryoCath makes catheters that can deliver sub-zero temperatures to the heart to restore normal electrical signals by freezing the tissue or pathways behind the irregular quivering. In March, Medtronic touted the first results from its clinical trials of CryoCath technology, claiming the therapy was far more effective at treating atrial fibrillation than drugs.