Biotronik said yesterday that it began enrolling patients in a trial designed to assess the safety and efficacy of a new coronary drug-eluting stent in de novo coronary artery lesions. The Biovitesse polymer-free device combines ultra-thin struts with a new anti-proliferative limus drug designed to stop excessive cell growth, the company reported. In September, Dr. […]
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Insulet looks to lure Animas users
Just days after Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) revealed that it plans to shut down its 410-worker Animas insulin pump subsidiary, Insulet (NSDQ:PODD) said it would offer existing Animas insulin pump users a free trial of the company’s Omnipod system. Insulet’s Welcome Program includes a free Omnipod tubeless insulin delivery system, built-in blood glucose meter and 30 days […]
India pulls an about-face on Abbott’s Xience Alpine stent
India’s Department of Pharmaceuticals has stopped Abbott (NYSE:ABT) from pulling its Xience Alpine drug-eluting coronary stent from the market. The move is a reversal from the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority’s decision last month to allow Abbott to withdraw the device over a one-year period. Last week, the DoP said it invoked powers described in the Drug […]
MiMedx closes Stability Biologics sale
MiMedx (NSDQ:MDXG) said this week that it completed the divestiture of its subsidiary, Stability Biologics, back to the former stockholders of Stability, Inc. The deal, which closed on Sept. 30, included a promissory note issued by Stability Biologics for $3.5 million in favor of MiMedx. “When we signed the definitive agreement for the divestiture, we communicated […]
Medtech stories we missed this week: Oct. 6, 2017
From Intellijoint’s CE Mark to Patrona Medical and Kopis new partnership, here are seven medtech stories we missed this week but thought were still worth mentioning. 1. Intellijoint CE Mark for flagship hip navigation Intellijoint surgical announced in an Oct. 4 press release that it has received CE Mark for its Intellijoint HIP System in […]
AgaMatrix lands $32m loan for split
With a $32 million loan in hand, AgaMatrix said this week it plans to reorganize the companies into two entities – AgaMatrix, Inc. and WaveForm Technologies. The holding company raised $32 million from Prospect Capital Corp. and said it will use the funds to support sales and marketing, product development and clinical trial activities for its […]
PanOptica raises $11m for wet-AMD eye drops
Privately-held biopharma PanOptica said today that it raised $11 million in a Series B round to fund the clinical advancement of its anti-VEGF eye drop for the treatment of neovascular eye diseases. The funding, led by Third Rock Ventures and SV Health Investors, will support a Phase I/II study of a new formulation of PAN-90806 […]
First test to screen blood donations for Zika virus wins FDA nod
The FDA today approved Roche Molecular System‘s (OTC:RHHBY) cobas Zika test, which detects Zika virus RNA in plasma specimens collected from volunteer blood donors and living organ donors. The test is designed to be used by blood collection establishments to detect Zika virus in blood donations – not for the diagnosis of Zika virus infection […]
Titan, Opiant partner to develop subcutaneous implant for opioid use disorder
Titan Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:TTNP) and Opiant Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:OPNT) announced this week that the companies are partnering to develop a subcutaneous implant to deliver an opioid antagonist. The pair said they plan to conduct a feasibility assessment of such an implant using Titan’s ProNeura sustained release technology. The goal of their collaboration is to devise a way to […]
Nanopatch tops needles, syringes as delivery system for polio vaccine in animal study
A microscopic vaccine delivery platform developed by researchers at the University of Queensland has proven a more effective way to deliver a polio virus vaccine compared to needles and syringes in an animal model. “Polio was one of the most dreaded childhood diseases of the 20th century, resulting in limb disfigurement and irreversible paralysis in […]