Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) subsidiary Cordis Corp. sued the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office this week, alleging that the agency denied key subpoenas that prevented it from defending its patents in a stent lawsuit against Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) and Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT).
Allergan
French breast implant maker’s founder arrested | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — The founder and former head of the French breast implant company at the center of the ongoing controversy over sub-standard breast implants was arrested, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Jean-Claude Mas was detained as part of an investigation into manslaughter and involuntary injury associated with the manufacture breast implants made with non-authorized silicone gel that is associated with high rupture rates.
MassDevice Q&A: James Mazzo, Abbott Medical Optics
You don’t get more dialed-in to the device industry than James Mazzo, and you definitely don’t get busier.
In addition to his duties as senior VP of Abbott Medical Optics Inc., an ophthalmic company he spun out of Allergan (NYSE:AGN) and then sold to health care giant Abbott (NYSE:ABT) in 2009, Mazzo has been the chairman of the Advanced Medical Technology Association, or AdvaMed, for the past two years.
Congress agrees to 2-month “doc fix” | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that the House will pass a 2-month extension to the "doc fix," a payroll tax break extension saving doctors from a looming cut in Medicare reimbursement payments.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services had already started planning the nearly 30% cut for some time next month.
MassDevice.com +3 | Weight loss: FDA warns Lap-Band advertisers, MDT to pay $23.5M to settle kickback claims, Baxter inks $325M buyout pact with Synovis
Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three med-tech stories of the day. This latest feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our three biggest and most influential stories from the day’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 today, make sure you’re still in the know with MassDevice +3.
Weight loss: FDA warns against exaggerated Lap-Band advertising
Advertisers that omit the risks and exaggerate the benefits of Lap-Band surgery could find themselves in a federal beef, according to an FDA warning to surgical centers and marketing firms.
Zimmer goes after another law firm | Legal News
Zimmer Holdings (NYSE:ZMH) is suing another law firm over an ad campaign that allegedly makes false and defamatory statements about its NexGen knee implant.
The lawsuit accuses Ohio law office Elk & Elk Co. of running Internet and television spots aimed at Zimmer customers which stated that the NexGen device "has a high failure rate, causes pain, has resulted in the recall of the NexGen CR-Flex product and is otherwise defective," according to court documents.
Masimo plunges after missing Q3 earnings target | Earnings Roundup
Shares of Masimo Corp. (NSDQ:MASI) plunged more than 12 percent today after the patient monitoring device maker missed third-quarter earnings expectations and lowered its sales and earnings guidance for the rest of 2011.
MASI shares were trading at $19.61 as of about 1 p.m. today, down 12.1 percent.
No recall for breast implants, FDA says | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Despite warnings from advisory panels and pressure from consumer groups, the FDA announced that no recall would be issued for silicone breast implants.
Recall J&J breast implants, consumer groups tell FDA panel
Consumer groups asked the FDA to recall Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE: JNJ) silicone breast implants over concerns that they haven’t collected postmarket data on the devices as promised.
JNJ’s Mentor division and Allergan Inc. (NYSE:AGN) won FDA clearance for silicone breast implants in 2006 on the condition that they would collect safety data on 40,000 patients for 10 years.
Stryker announces new international group president | Personnel Moves
Stryker Corp. (NYSE:SYK) named a new international group president to take over as Andrew Fox-Smith resigned from the position to pursue other career opportunities.
Ramesh Subrahmanian takes the role, effective September 1, after having most recently served as senior VP and president, Asia Pacific, for Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK).