3M (NYSE:MMM) said yesterday that its board of directors nominated CEO Mike Roman as its new chairperson, with current exec chair Inge Thulin announcing their intention to retire. The move is slated to take effect following the St. Paul, Minn.-based company’s annual meeting of shareholders on May 14. “Under Inge’s leadership, 3M evolved into a more […]
Medtronic
FDA expands indications for Medtronic’s Pipeline Flex embolization device
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today it won expanded FDA approval for its Pipeline Flex embolization device. The device is now indicated for patients with small or medium, wide-necked brain aneurysms in the territory from the petrous to the terminus of the internal carotid artery, the Fridley, Minn.-based company said. The Pipeline Flex was previously cleared for the […]
Medtronic touts study data for thoracic aortic stent
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said that its thoracic stent graft for the treatment of a potentially deadly blunt-force chest injury performed well five years after implantation, according to a new study. The Rescue study of the long-term durability, safety, and efficacy of the Medtronic’s Valiant Captivia thoracic stent graft system for blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) was presented […]
Medtronic touts U.S. results of lung cancer detection trial
Partial results of a huge, real-world study of Medtronic’s (NYSE:MDT) superDimension LungGPS technology found that 65% of patients diagnosed with primary lung cancer (Stages I and II) were at early stages of the disease. Early detection of lung cancer is critical to improving patient outcomes long-term. The results came from a 12-month follow-up of the 1,215-patient […]
Chinese national draws 27-month sentence in Medtronic, Edwards trade theft case
A Chinese national engineer who stole confidential trade secrets from Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) and ev3, formerly owned by Covidien and now a subsidiary of Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, according to a posting from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Wenfeng Lu, 46, pleaded guilty last May […]
Judge accepts Medtronic plea deal in Ev3 off-label marketing case
A federal judge in Boston this week accepted a plea deal from Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) neurovascular subsidiary ev3 in an off-label marketing case, according to recently released court documents. U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith Dein granted the motion, which included the forfeiture of $6 million and an additional $11.9 million in penalties, bringing the total owed by the company […]
FDA sets approval record, lays out 2019 strategy
FDA said today that it set a record for novel-device approvals in 2018, giving the nod to 106 new devices, breaking the previous record of 99. The agency also granted nine breakthrough device designation requests, for a total of 112 since the program’s inception in 2015. Novel-device approvals in 2018 included an expanded approval of an […]
J&J’s Ethicon touts surgical staplers study
Johnson & Johnson’ Ethicon business is promoting the results of a head-to-head study between an Ethicon surgical stapler and a Medtronic stapler system. Ethicon’s Echelon Flex GST system had a 20% staple-line air leak rate when tested out on pig lungs under modeled physiologic breathing conditions, versus a 44% rate for Medtronic’s Endo Gia with Tri-Staple […]
Medtronic touts U.S. launch of Mazor X Stealth spinal robot-assisted surgery device
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today that it launched its Mazor X Stealth robotic-assisted spinal surgical platform in the U.S., touting its recent use in its first commercial procedures. The first uses of the system took place at Louisville, Ky.’s Norton Healthcare and Reston, Va.’s Reston Hospital Center, the Fridley, Minn.-based medtech giant said. “The marriage of robotics […]
Appeals court backs spine doc inventor in $24m patent infringement spat with Medtronic
The U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals this week affirmed a nearly $24 million verdict in favor of a physician inventor in a patent spat with medtech giant Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), according to recently released court documents. In February 2014, Dr. Mark Berry filed a suit against Medtronic alleging that Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic infringed on three patents […]
Medtronic to acquire cardiac ablation tech dev Epix Therapeutics
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said yesterday that it inked a deal to acquire cardiac ablation tech developer Epix Therapeutics, formerly known as Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics, for an undisclosed amount. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Epix’s flagship device is the DiamondTemp catheter-based radiofrequency cardiac ablation system, which won CE Mark approval in the European Union in 2017. The company is engaged […]