Canada reportedly signed a contract to purchase 37 million syringes from Becton Dickinson (NYSE:BDX) in preparation for a potential COVID-19 vaccine. A report in The Record revealed that Public Services & Procurement Minister Anita Anand said the country made a purchase order from the Canadian branch of BD in an effort to make sure Canada is […]
COVID-19
U of M releases Coventor ventilator design as open-source
The University of Minnesota recently announced that it released the design for its Coventor alternative ventilator as open-source. Minnesota’s Coventor low-cost device gained notoriety in March after researchers touted the design made from various parts totaling just $150. In April, it became the first ventilator of its kind authorized for use under the FDA’s EUA […]
FDA streamlines at-home COVID-19 test applications
The FDA has added a method to streamline COVID-19 diagnostic test manufacturers’ efforts to apply for an emergency use authorization (EUA) for home sample collection. The new template on the FDA website includes recommendations for laboratories and commercial manufacturers to use in preparing and submitting an EUA request. Currently, developers can offer a COVID-19 test […]
Philips wins EUA for acute-care patient monitoring
Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) announced today that it received FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) for its IntelliVue patient monitors and active displays. The Amsterdam-based company’s IntelliVue monitors MX750/MX850 and active displays AD75/D85 received authorization to support infection-control protocols and provide caregivers information remotely during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Both sets of IntelliVue products received CE Mark approval […]
BD furloughs 160 employees at Nebraska plant
Becton Dickinson (NYSE:BDX) reportedly furloughed 160 employees at its Broken Bow, Neb. plant amid the COVID-19-induced dip in demand for certain healthcare products and procedures. A report in the Sandhills Express said BD’s PR associate director of reputation management Gwen Gordon confirmed that operations will resume as soon as possible in Broken Bow, but the furlough […]
Medtronic is making its ‘artificial lung’ therapy available for COVID-19 treatment
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) is temporarily modifying product indications so that health providers can use its extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) technology to treat people with severe cases of COVID-19. ECMO could be described as a type of “artificial lung” technology that pumps blood from a person’s body to an oxygenator that provides long-term oxygen and carbon-dioxide transfer. Medtronic […]
FDA wants to streamline development of at-home COVID-19 diagnostic tests
The FDA announced that it took steps in an effort to support the development of COVID-19 tests for at-home self-collection. Creating a voluntary emergency use authorization (EUA) template outlining the guidelines for at-home sample collection kits is among the steps the agency has taken, according to a news release. The template includes recommendations for laboratories […]
Gallup has a new poll that medtech should care about
Fewer Americans are worried about going to the doctor amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new online poll from Gallup. The poll provides good news for the medical device industry as it seeks to recover from a dropoff in elective procedures — and even procedures that people need — as hospitals focus on treating […]
MedTech 100 roundup: Stocks peak to end May
Medtech stocks closed May at their highest point since before the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the markets. MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — sat at 87.17 points at the end of last week (May 29). That total represents a 2.3% gain from the 85.22-point total at the […]
Siemens Healthineers secures EUA for its COVID-19 antibody test
Siemens Healthineers (ETR: SHL) announced today that it has secured an FDA emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 antibody test. The news comes nearly a week after the German medtech giant said it had started worldwide shipments of the test — a laboratory-based total antibody test that can detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies including IgM and IgG in blood. […]
FDA issues EUA for Abiomed Impella RP to treat COVID-19 heart failure
Abiomed (NSDQ:ABMD) announced that it received FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) for its Impella RP for use with COVID-19-related right heart failure. The Impella RP temporary heart pump provides circulatory support for patients with right side ventricular failure. It won FDA approval in September 2017 for such an indication and in October 2019 Abiomed reported real-world data […]