News of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate performing well has caused markets to rally this week. The two companies are collaborating on a vaccine candidate that has proven in early clinical data to be approximately 90% effective, and the news helped to propel MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index to a new record high yesterday. However, […]
Abbott
Abbott launches RF pain treatment device
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) announced today that it launched its IonicRF generator for non-surgical treatment for nervous system pain management. The recently FDA-cleared device is designed for minimally invasive treatment through radiofrequency ablation, using heat to target specific nerves and block pain signals from reaching the brain. According to a news release. it’s the first Abbott-developed RF ablation […]
Report: Some nursing homes refuse to use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests
Many rapid COVID-19 tests are going unused in nursing homes as there reportedly remain concerns over accuracy in detecting the virus. The Wall Street Journal reports that a federal survey of nursing homes found that 30% of 13,150 facilities that had rapid testing equipment for at least two weeks did not use it to test […]
DTW Podcast: Where will Intuitive find future growth? Abbott’s Moat on how population boom will boost demand
In this episode of the DeviceTalks Weekly Podcast, we’ll talk with Intuitive Surgical’s Julian Nikolchev, senior vice president, corporate development and strategy, and Dr. Oliver Keown, director of Intuitive Ventures, about the new $100 million venture fund. How will the capital be invested? Where does Intuitive see the opportunity, and how does the program fit […]
Study: Abbott antigen test can detect COVID-19 in asymptomatic people
A study out of Spain found that an antigen test made by Abbott (NYSE:ABT) is capable of detecting COVID-19 infection in asymptomatic people. Antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests are seen as a potential alternative to the standard for COVID-19 diagnosis, the RT-qPCR test, which has drawbacks including the need for laboratory processing, high cost and some long […]
Abbott launches next-gen 3D cardiac mapping platform in Europe, Australia
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) announced today that it received CE Mark and Australian approval for its new EnSite X EP system. EnSite X EP is touted as the only system that allows for navigation of the cardiac anatomy in two different ways through the same lone platform. The new cardiac mapping platform builds upon Abbott’s electrophysiology portfolio with […]
The most innovative medical device of 2020
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) announced today that it received the 2020 Prix Galien USA Award for Best Medical Technology for its MitraClip system. MitraClip, Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott’s minimally invasive transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) system, was chosen from a field of 17 other nominees, according to a news release. MitraClip is delivered to the heart through a […]
Court revives Abbott ex-employee age discrimination suit
A federal appeals court last week ruled that a former Abbott employee may take his age discrimination case to trial, citing an executive’s statement that she was told to “manage out” older workers. Ronald Pineda sued Abbott in April 2018, claiming the company failed to accommodate his disabilities, discriminated against him on the basis of […]
Abbott accuses former employee of masquerading as COVID-19 test salesman
Abbott Laboratories has sued a former employee for trademark infringement and theft of trade secrets, accusing him of selling other manufacturers’ COVID-19 tests on behalf of Abbott. Attorneys for Abbott filed the complaint on Tuesday, seeking a preliminary injunction against Justin Brown as well as monetary damages. Abbott said it fired Brown from his sales […]
Abbott beats the Street in Q3, projects higher full-year sales
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) posted stronger-than-expected third-quarter earnings today and upped its full-year projections. The Abbott Park, Ill.-based healthcare giant reported profits of $1.232 billion or 98¢ per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2020, led by a whopping 38.2% increase in global diagnostics sales and a 27% sales jump for diabetes care devices. Analysts had projected […]
DTW Podcast: Who will win medtech’s own Supreme Court fight; and can the many mini Medtronics plan work?
In this week’s DeviceTalks Weekly podcast, we’ll first delve into Medtech’s own brewing Supreme Court battle. J. Michael Jakes, a partner at Finnegan, will tell us why the industry should be watching when the Supremes review the latest patent battle between Arthrex and Smith+Nephew. We’ll also talk about Medtronic’s Analyst Meeting where CEO Geoff Martha […]
