Sirtex Medical (ASX:SRX) said today that it’s yttrium-90 resin microspheres did not extend survival significantly compared to Bayer’s sorafenib in a study of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Although the 459-patient trial did not meet its primary endpoint, the company reported that patients treated with its microspheres experienced less than half the number of severe, treatment-related […]
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Becton Dickinson to acquire Bard in $24B deal
Becton Dickinson (NYSE:BDX) has inked an agreement with C. R. Bard (NYSE:BCR) to acquire the medtech company for $317.00 per Bard common share in cash and stock, valuing the deal at $24 billion. In announcing the deal yesterday, Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based BD said it plans to create a new segment within the company, BD Interventional, to […]
Cellnovo, Diabeloop launch artificial pancreas CE Mark trial
Cellnovo (EPA:CLNV) and Diabeloop said this week they are launching a CE Mark cross-over registration study for an artificial pancreas device Diabeloop is developing which uses Cellnovo’s insulin pump. The registration study aims to generate appropriate security & safety data as the company seeks CE Mark approval for the Diabeloop artificial pancreas combined with Cellnovo’s CGM some […]
Study: Gamida Cell’s NiCord cell graft yields fewer infections, shorter hospital stays
Gamida Cell said today that its NiCord cell graft produces fewer infections, shorter hospital stays and shorter time to engraftment compared to standard umbilical cord blood transplantation. The company’s work was published in Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. “Our results indicate that rapid hematopoietic recovery from Gamida Cell’s NiCord transplantation approach is associated with clinical benefit. […]
UPDATED: Mallinckrodt, Marathon leave industry trade group over drug pricing controversy
Updated to include a statement from Mallinckrodt regarding its membership with PhRMA. Marathon Pharmaceuticals reportedly withdrew from the drug industry’s lobbying group yesterday following controversy over its pricey drug, Emflaza. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) began reconsidering its membership criteria as reports revealed a number of drugmakers hiking the prices of their products. […]
How IBM is using deep learning to detect diabetic eye disease
IBM’s deep learning technology can detect and classify the severity of diabetic retinopathy with 86% accuracy, according to new research. The diagnostic tool could help doctors and physicians better understand disease progression and determine treatment, IBM said. The company’s technology was trained to identify lesions using more than 35,000 eye images. It can classify the […]
Medtech stories we missed this week: April 21, 2017
From new and renewed partnerships to FDA approvals, here are medtech stories we missed this week but thought were still worth mentioning. 1. Life Spine receives FDA clearance for cervical spacer system Life Spine announced in an April 19 press release that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Plateau-C Ti Cervical Spacer System. The system uses […]
6 ways hydrogels are enabling medtech innovation
Hydrogels are water-based biomaterials developed specifically for human use, according to a Biomaterials journal article. They are a water-swollen polymeric material that doesn’t change its distinct 3D structure. They are formed from super-absorbent, chain-like polymers and are not soluble in water. However, their porous surface allows for nutrients and cell waste to pass through. They have shown the […]
Hospira, Baxter subpoenaed in antitrust probe over intravenous saline
Drugmakers received grand jury subpoenas from the U.S. Justice Dept. this week in connection with an antitrust probe into companies that market intravenous saline solutions. ICU Medical (NSDQ:ICUI), which recently acquired Hospira Infusion Systems from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), and Baxter (NYSE:BAX) disclosed the subpoenas this week. Pfizer revealed that it is also wrapped up in the investigation, according […]
DelMar closes $9m public offering
DelMar Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:DMPI) closed its $9 million public offering today. Earlier this week, the company priced 2.8 million shares and warrants to purchase an aggregate of 2.1 million shares of common stock at $3.25 apiece. The offering’s warrants have an exercise price of $3.50 per share and have an term of exercise of 5 years, according to […]