Insulet (NSDQ:PODD) said today that it inked deals with two partners, Theras Group and Nordic Infucare, to distribute its tubeless insulin pump, Omnipod, in Italy and the Nordic markets starting July 1. According to the agreements, both distributors will provide sales, marketing and customer support for Omnipod users and providers in Italy and the Nordic markets. […]
Pharmaceuticals
Intersect ENT beats The Street with Q1 sales, earnings
Shares in Intersect ENT (NSDQ:XENT) held steady today after the medical device maker topped expectations on Wall Street with its first-quarter results. The Menlo Park, Calif.-based company posted a net loss of -$6.1 million, or -21¢ per share, on sales of $24.7 million for the 3 months ended March 31, for bottom-line growth of 8.8% on […]
Abbott’s Xience Sierra drug-eluting coronary stent wins reimbursement in Japan
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) said today that it won national reimbursement in Japan for its everolimus-eluting stent, Xience Sierra, which is designed to treat patients with coronary artery disease. The company’s latest drug-eluting device features a thinner profile, increased flexibility and longer lengths than previous stents, according to Abbott. The healthcare firm said it developed Xience Sierra to […]
J&J’s Janssen acquires cancer-killing virus tech
Johnson & Johnson‘s (NYSE:JNJ) Janssen Biotech said today that it agreed to acquire BeneVir Biopharm and its T-Stealth oncolytic virus platform. The privately-held biopharmaceutical company engineers cancer-killing viruses that are designed to infect and destroy cancer cells. Janssen plans to develop BeneVir’s preclinical candidates for the treatment of solid tumor cancers. According to the terms […]
NIH launches precision medicine project to collect health data from one million volunteers
The National Institutes of Health will open national enrollment next week for its All of Us research program, aiming to collect health data from at least one million volunteers across the country. The project, which has been in beta for the last year, will request health and lifestyle data from volunteers using online surveys and […]
Allergan touts 5-year data for Liletta intrauterine contraceptive
Allergan (NYSE:AGN) and its nonprofit partner, Medicines360, touted five-year data today from an on-going pivotal trial of its intrauterine device, Liletta. The levonorgestrel-releasing contraceptive is approved in the U.S. to be used to prevent pregnancy for up to four years. The companies collected data from women who ranged from 16 – 45 years old. Two women, […]
Drug delivery needs better human factors
Adopting neuroscience-based human factors methods could yield better outcomes for patients, improved communication design and engineering teams, and maybe even help companies build IP. The methods behind assessing human factors in medtech are outdated—and they’re due for an upgrade, said Charles Mauro CHFP, of Mauro Usability Science. “The type of research employed to determine if […]
Regeneron, Sanofi strike pricing deal with Express Scripts for cholesterol drug
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:REGN) and its partner, Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), have agreed to lower the cost for its cholesterol drug, Praluent, for Express Scripts (NSDQ:ESRX) in exchange for an exclusive spot on the pharmacy benefit manager’s national formulary. The agreement, effective July 1, is designed to broaden patient access to the injectable medicine and lower out-of-pocket costs for eligible […]
DHS warns on cyber vulnerability with BD’s Pyxis drug-dispensing devices
An array of medication-management systems from Becton Dickinson (NYSE: BDX) are vulnerable to the industry-wide KRACK key-reinstallation cyber attack, according to the company and to the Dept. of Homeland Security. The glitch, which was first reported last year, is a vulnerability in the WPA2 protocol for securing Wi-Fi that can imperil the confidentiality and integrity of communication […]
Gilead inks $90m deal with Verily to create “molecular map” of inflammatory disease
Gilead Sciences (NSDQ:GILD) is reportedly slated to pay Alphabet’s Verily Life Sciences $90 million over three years to analyze cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and lupus-related diseases. By probing immune cells from patients involved in Gilead’s clinical trials, the companies hope to glean a better understanding of the immunological signatures of RA, […]