Insulet (NSDQ:PODD) said yesterday that it tapped former Medtronic minimally invasive therapies CFO and finance VP Wayde McMillan as its new chief financial officer, replacing Michael Levitz. The Acton, Mass.-based diabetes-focused medtech company said that McMillan will join the company in February and that Levitz will continue as an advisor for a period following the […]
Medtronic
Medtech veteran Reggie Groves on leading with ‘patients first’
In guiding Medtronic through the Fidelis lead recall, medtech veteran Reggie Groves always took a “patients first” perspective. At DeviceTalks West 2018, Groves explained how her time at Medtronic influenced her as a leader and how she has brought those lessons into her role as CEO of Reva Medical. Once the world’s most popular defibrillator […]
Analyst downgrades pressure medtech stocks
Several medical device companies took hits yesterday after analysts on Wall Street downgraded their stocks, on a day when the major market indices each closed up a hair, and even medtech firms that enjoyed upgrades came under pressure. Globus Medical (NYSE:GMED) suffered the most after Morgan Stanley analyst David Lewis cut his rating on the stock from […]
Medtronic, IBM Watson debut hypoglycemia prediction feature for diabetes app
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and IBM Watson Health today launched a new feature for its Sugar.IQ personal diabetes assistant app that can predict the likelihood of a user experiencing a low glucose event within a four-hour window. The feature, called IQcast, uses AI tech from IBM and becomes more accurate as the low blood sugar event draws nearer, according to […]
Prioritizing Innovation – How major players in medtech stay ahead of the curve
In the medtech industry, if you don’t innovate, you can’t compete. While innovation and breakthrough technologies may be the core currency at startups, larger medical device firms have more to balance alongside research and development, making strategies for maintaining innovation essential to staying ahead of the curve. Last month at Device Talks West, Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) neurovascular R&D […]
What should the Mann Foundation do next?
Dr. Robert Greenberg, the Mann Foundation’s new executive chairman, has ideas about where to take one of medtech’s top research and development outfits. He explained more at DeviceTalks West in December. The new executive chairman of the Alfred E. Mann Foundation for Scientific Research sees the foundation continuing its mission of developing devices for unmet medical needs. The foundation […]
Medtronic founder Earl Bakken knew how to inspire his employees
Earl Bakken made history when he invented the battery-powered, wearable cardiac pacemaker in a Minneapolis garage in 1957. But three years later, the company he co-founded was floundering and desperately needed cash. To show the board of directors that the $200,000 they had raised would be put to good use, Bakken wrote a mission statement for the […]
Medtronic settles lawsuit from ex-patent chief Ruschke
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) has settled a discrimination suit from its former chief patent counsel David Ruschke, who went on to become Chief Judge for the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, according to recently released court documents. Judge Phyllis Hamilton of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed the suit from Ruschke in light […]
Medtronic closes $1.7B Mazor Robotics buy
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today that it closed the $1.7 billion acquisition of Mazor Robotics (NSDQ:MZOR) and its robot-assisted surgery platform, capping the buyout with the announcement that their first jointly produced product won an FDA nod. Last month Caesarea, Israel-based Mazor said its shareholders voted to approve the $58.50-per-ADR-share deal with the world’s largest medical device maker, which […]
Aortica touts FDA clearance to use Medtronic’s Valiant Navion in AAA IDE study
Aortica said today that the FDA approved the use of Medtronic‘s (NYSE:MDT) Valiant Navion stent graft system alongside Aortica’s AortaFit in a physician sponsored IDE study. The study, being run by principal investigator Dr. Benjamin Starnes at the University of Washington, will now use the Valiant Navion as a platform for fenestrated endovascular repair together with […]
Medtronic wins FDA nod for InterStim sacral neuromod programmer
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today that the FDA approved its InterStim smart programmer, designed to work with the company’s InterStim sacral neurmodulation system intended for tor treating overactive bladder, chronic fecal incontinence and non-obstructive urinary retention. The newly cleared smart programmer is run on a Samsung Electronics (LON:BC94) mobile device and allows clinicians to personalize patient care and manage […]