Aptar announced that it is seeking FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) for its N95 mask decontamination process with ActivShield. The N95 masks (produced by Honeywell (NYSE:HON) and 3M (NYSE:MMM)) are in short supply and high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. To disinfect the masks, a small strip of Aptar’s ActivShield is placed alongside an N95 mask inside a […]
coronavirus
Here at MassDevice — medtech's online business journal — we're covering news about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic daily. Here is the latest about coronavirus and the medical device industry, regulatory changes related to the pandemic, new tests for the virus, vaccine development, and much more.
Nortech, Minnetronix may start building ventilators
Two Minnesota medtech contract manufacturers are taking a hard look at producing ventilators, including one from the plans that Medtronic made public last week to address the coronavirus outbreak. Maple Grove-based Nortech Systems (NSDQ:NSYS) told Medical Design & Outsourcing it is seriously considering starting to produce the machines based on the design specifications of Medtronic’s Puritan Bennett 560 (PB 560) […]
Materialise touts 3D printed oxygen mask that could free up ventilators
Materialise announced today that it developed a 3D printed device to convert standard hospital equipment into a mask to facilitate breathing for patients by creating positive pressure in the lungs.The Leuven, Belgium-based company’s Materialise NIP Connector is designed to give clinicians the ability to reduce the time that patients need access to ventilators, relieving the strain […]
Luminex wins EUA for new COVID-19 diagnostic test
Luminex (NSDQ:LMNX) announced today that it received FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) for its Aries SARS-CoV-2 assay for detecting the virus causing COVID-19. Austin, Texas-based Luminex runs the test on its FDA-cleared Aries system for sample-to-answer, automated, on-demand molecular diagnostics. Aries is capable of running up to 144 tests per day with no specialty training […]
Getinge to expand ventilator production
Getinge (STO:GETI-B) Getinge announced today that it is more than doubling its production capacity for intensive care unit ventilator machines amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gothenburg, Sweden-based company said in a news release that it produced 10,000 ventilators in 2019 and is set to increase that number to 26,000 (160% increase) in 2020. Getinge had already […]
Honeywell expanding Phoenix operations, adding 500 jobs to make N95 masks
Honeywell (NYSE:HON) is adding an N95 respirator mask production line at its Phoenix aerospace plant to further boost its production of the masks — needed in the war against COVID-19. Arizona will get 500 new jobs from the manufacturing expansion. The news comes on top of Honeywell’s recent announcement that it is expanding operations at its […]
Elon Musk criticized for donating sleep apnea ventilators
Tesla co-founder & CEO Elon Musk is receiving criticism after the more than 1,000 ventilators he donated for COVID-19 relief were reportedly not the specific kind for use in intensive care units. According to a report in the Financial Times, among the 1,255 donated FDA-approved ventilators from ResMed (NYSE:RMD), Philips (NYSE:PHG) and Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) that were part […]
How is coronavirus vaccine development going in the U.S.?
Researchers in Pittsburgh and Boston are moving forward with research into two separate vaccine programs against SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. The work of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers is detailed in a paper published recently in EBioMedicine, which is published by the Lancet. Delivery of the vaccine involved a microneedle array to […]
How 3D printing is enabling ventilator splitting
Amid the shortage of ventilators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are finding success using 3D printing to enable “ventilator splitting.” The search continues to go on for more machines, but there have already been government actions taken to increase amounts, while researchers have taken it into their own hands to create homemade-style ventilators. However, there could […]
Europe waives tariffs, import taxes on COVID-19 medtech
The European Commission has decided to waive tariffs and value-added taxes (VAT) on certain medical devices and personal protective equipment (PPE) coming from outside the EU during the coronavirus pandemic. The measure includes testing kits, ventilators and other medical equipment and will remain in force for six months, the commission said today. Get the full […]
Smith+Nephew to build ventilators with UK government
Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) announced today that it has landed a contract with the UK government to build OxVent ventilators amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The London-based company’s OxVent system is currently under review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), making the contracted order subject to the device receiving authorization from the governing body. […]