MassDevice

The Medical Device Business Journal — Medical Device News & Articles | MassDevice

Home » Weight loss: Clinics halt Lap-Band surgeries amid controversy | MassDevice.com On Call

Weight loss: Clinics halt Lap-Band surgeries amid controversy | MassDevice.com On Call

By

MassDevice On Call

MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A pair of outpatient clinics in Los Angeles stopped offering weight-loss surgeries using the Lap-Band gastrointestinal device amid ongoing controversy over a marketing campaign.

The FDA late last year issued warning letters to 8 California surgical centers and the marketing firm 1-800-GET-THIN, citing them for running misleading Lap-Band ads without required risk information.

Last week, Lap-Band maker Allergan (NYSE:AGN) announced that it would stop selling the device to companies affiliated with the 1-800-GET THIN campaign, MSNBC reported.

The Lap-Band is approved by the FDA for weight loss in obese adults. The device is implanted during surgery and uses an adjustable silicon ring to constrict the upper portion of the stomach.

Printing a prosthetic jaw

Belgian company LayerWise created a custom titanium mandible on a 3D printer, which surgeons used to replace the entire jaw of an elderly patient, ZDNet reported.

Consumer group pushes for more stringent device safety

Patient advocacy group Consumer Union headed to Washington D.C. to press lawmakers for improvements to the medical device user fee act, according to a press release.

Hospitals pay $12 million for false claims

The U.S. Dept. of Justice fined 14 U.S. hospitals a total of more than $12 million to settle allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare, Bloomberg reported.

Medtronic touts clinical results for peripheral arterial stent

1-year results from a clinical study of Medtronic’s (NYSE:MDT) Complete SE self-expanding peripheral artery stent found that it was 90% free from reinterventions, according to a press release.

In case you missed it

RSS From Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Traco Power launches THM 60WI DC-DC converters
    Traco Power today announced it has launched its THM 60WI series of quarter brick DC-DC converters. The Baar, Switzerlad-based company designed the DC-DC converters with ultra-wide input ranges and safety approvals for medical and industrial applications. Traco Power’s THM 60WI series of converters consists of 12 models with 9-75 or 18-75 Vin ranges with single… […]
  • The 10 largest medtech employers of 2021 – and what their employees really think
    Employees of the 10 largest medtech employers are proud of working on life-saving products — with a greater appreciation for diversity and inclusion initiatives. That was one major takeaway as Medical Design & Outsourcing compiled some current and former employee reviews posted on Glassdoor. (Browse the online version of our Big 100 report.) Despite the pride, there was… […]
  • COVID-19 test makers say their products also detect Omicron
    Abbott, BD, Hologic, PerkinElmer, Thermo Fisher and Quidel are reassuring the public that their COVID-19 tests detect the Omicron variant. Discovered last week in South Africa, the new variant has enough mutations that it has raised concerns worldwide — even though it is still unknown for sure whether the mutations cause greater transmissibility or vaccine… […]
  • November 2021 Issue: The Big 100 – Medtech’s 100 Largest Players
      Browse the online version of the Big 100 An even larger medtech supply chain shock looms beyond the pandemic European approval ‘a big deal’ as Medtronic moves forward with Hugo surgical robot How medtech fared in the first waves of the pandemic People move the medtech industry forward The term “supply chain” brings to… […]
  • Could winged microchips monitor for airborne disease?
    Northwestern University engineers have created what they claim are the smallest-ever human-made flying structures — winged microchips that could monitor the air for disease and pollution. Engineering professor John Rogers and his team at Northwestern drew on inspiration from nature to create the microchips, which are the size of a grain of sand. The chips… […]
  • Smith+Nephew expands reach of its Cori handheld robotic system
    A year after Smith+Nephew (NYSE:SNN) launched its Cori handheld robotic system in the U.S.,  the ortho surgery system has launched globally. The British medtech giant has expanded Cori’s reach to Europe, Australia and New Zealand, India, and Canada (just announced today). The company yesterday said the system was now available for use in the U.K.’s National Health… […]
  • Elizabeth Holmes reportedly expresses remorse in criminal fraud trial
    Elizabeth Holmes reportedly revealed some regret over her handling of business as the ex-Theranos CEO took the stand again in a criminal fraud trial. Taking the stand yesterday for the third day of testimony in federal court in San Jose, California, Holmes was said to have shown remorse while still shifting some of the blame… […]
  • Supply chain, manufacturing issues slow Medtronic’s Hugo launch, ramp-up expected next fiscal year
    Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) Chair & CEO Geoff Martha confirmed that the launch of the Hugo surgical robot platform is off-schedule. Hugo received CE mark approval last month. The company is gearing up to conduct its FDA investigational device exemption (IDE) clinical trials in the U.S., with more on its stateside efforts still to come, Medtronic’s surgical robotics… […]
  • Minnetronix Medical honored in Minnesota for its MindsEye Expandable Port
    Minnetronix Medical (St. Paul, Minn.) received an award from the Minnesota Technology Association that highlights its MindsEye Expandable Port for minimally invasive deep brain access. The company won the association’s TEKNE award for best medical technology and devices. “Given Minnesota is a global epicenter for the medical device industry, this award is quite meaningful to Minnetronix… […]
  • BD expands biosciences business with reagent innovation center in San Diego
    A life sciences real estate developer announced today that BD (NYSE:BDX) selected its property as a new facility for its biosciences business. Through a joint venture with Tishman Speyer and Bellco Capital, Breakthrough Properties confirmed that BD chose its Torrey View by Breakthrough property for an expanded San Diego reagent innovation center within its biosciences… […]
  • The best places to work for medtech sales reps in 2022
    Teleflex (NYSE:TFX), ConMed (NSDQ:CNMD) and Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) topped the list of best places to work in medtech sales in 2022, according to a MedReps.com survey of medical sales representatives. The 11th annual MedReps survey polled over 2,300 MedReps professionals to determine which medtech sales companies are most sought-after in the industry. Overall, pay and leadership were the most… […]

Leave a Reply