Amazon subsidiary STS Lab Holdco received FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) for its real-time PCR test for COVID-19. According to an FDA letter, dated March 25, the test is authorized for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 in anterior nasal swab specimens that are self-collected by any individuals 18 or older, including those without […]
Amazon
Could your smart speaker monitor your heart rate?
Hey Alexa, how’s my heart rate? Researchers at the University of Washington say they’ve devised a way to enable smart speakers to work as contact-free heart-rate monitors. Their proof-of-concept uses algorithms that transform the smart speaker into a short-range active sonar system and measure heart rate and inter-beat intervals (R-R intervals) for both regular and […]
MedTech 100 roundup: Another peak for the industry
Medtech stocks have been on the rise in 2021, and the past week saw the trend continue with yet another all-time best mark. MassDevice‘s MedTech 100 index reached 107.4 points on Jan. 20, topping the all-time best of 106.81 points set on Jan. 8. That mark represents a 16% jump from the pre-pandemic high of 92.32 […]
Amazon offers to help Biden administration with vaccine distribution
Amazon (NSDQ:AMZN) issued a letter to recently inaugurated President Joe Biden offering assistance with COVID-19 vaccine distribution. President Biden, who was sworn into office yesterday, was addressed in the letter from Amazon announcing its availability to help with his intent to distribute 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office. Get the full story […]
MedTech 100 roundup: Industry skyrockets as hot streak continues
The medtech industry’s seemingly unstoppable rise over the past several weeks shows no signs of slowing down. For the fourth time in five weeks, and for the third consecutive week, the MassDevice MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — hit an all-time high. Previous highs have largely been […]
BREAKING: Amazon, Berkshire, JPMorgan joint healthcare venture is ending
Amazon (NSDQ:AMZN), Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announced today that they are ending their joint healthcare venture. The venture, launched in 2018 and known as “Haven,” aimed to bring the companies’ scale and complementary expertise to a long-term project which initially focused on technology solutions to help provide their U.S. employees and families with “high-quality and […]
Amazon, Onica to support digital health for Teva’s Digihaler
Teva Respiratory (NYSE:TEVA) announced that it is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Onica to build and host its digital health platform. The Teva Pharmaceuticals affiliate’s digital health platform is a cloud-based backend data system designed to support its FDA-approved Digihaler portfolio of breath-actuated digital inhalers and its companion mobile app that tracks inhaler events […]
3M sues seller of fake and damaged N95 respirators
3M (NYSE:MMM) announced that it filed a legal action in federal court alleging that a seller on Amazon inflated prices of fake, defective and damaged N95 masks. N95 masks have been in high demand as the COVID-19 pandemic roars on. In April, the U.S. Defense Dept. awarded a $76 million contract to 3M to produce the respirators […]
3M sues Florida company for alleged mask price-gouging
3M (NYSE:MMM) has sued a Florida company for allegedly trying to sell tens of millions of the company’s N95 respirators to the federal government at inflated prices. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida alleges that Orlando-based Geftico LLC twice attempted to fraudulently sell the “likely nonexistent” respirators at […]
Could Alexa help fight coronavirus?
The Amazon Echo smart home device may inadvertently prove to be a useful tool battling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Among the many features of the smart speaker device, and those on the market that are similar to it, are capabilities as a public health tool. According to a column in The New York Times, these […]
Report: Comcast to join home-health-monitoring fray
Comcast (NSDQ:CMCSA) is reportedly preparing to jump into the in-home health-monitoring market. The company will begin conducting pilot tests later this year and intends to launch a health monitoring device in 2020, according to a report by CNBC. Targeted toward seniors and people with disabilities, the device would use ambient sensors to determine whether they’re making extra […]
