Boston Scientific Corp.’s intent to acquire Penumbra Inc. for $14.5 billion will not only allow it to expand its minimal invasive care portfolio in areas such as embolization and peripheral vascular disease, but to also re-enter the neurovascular space, Kathleen Van Vlierberghe, vice president of Peripheral Interventions EMEA, told BioWorld. The move also comes as the company secured CE mark for its Embold detachable coil system bringing its offering for embolization procedures to new markets.

FDA clears 11 Aidoc AI triage indications

Aidoc Corp.'s Care AI foundation model secured 11 new U.S. FDA-cleared indications for use in emergency department triage. Now, with 14 total cleared indications in a single workflow, Aidoc Care can help health systems identify critical findings more quickly and mitigate delays caused by overcrowding and imaging backlogs.

F.Med redefines the future of microsurgical robotics

Microsurgery is performed to connect small human vessels, but the technical difficulty required to conduct this type of surgery is quite specialized and limits the number of surgeons who can perform microsurgery. F.Medical Engineering and Design (F.Med) has developed a robotic microsurgery system that enhances precision and control in delicate procedures through fine, tremor-free handling of microscopic surgical tools. F.Med has developed a multi-access robot that provides better coordination of the manipulator and positioner.

Congressional spending agreement avoids HHS slash-and-burn cuts

The good news is that the U.S. Congress is on track to pass a slate of fiscal 2026 spending bills before the current continuing resolution expires in nine days. So, barring any last-minute disputes or legislative hostage-taking, there should be no repeat of last year’s 43-day shutdown. More good news is that House and Senate appropriators ignored President Donald Trump’s funding proposal that would cut the total Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) discretionary funding to $98 billion, while slashing the NIH by 40% and the CDC by 54%. Instead, the bipartisan agreement the House is expected to vote on this week, followed by a Senate vote next week, maintains relatively flat funding for the department and most of its agencies.

NICE’s draft for spine fractures could boost DXA utilization, sales

The U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is revisiting its policy for osteoporosis and may recommend that clinicians include vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) to dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) procedures. While this might not represent a massive increase in utilization for DXA systems, widespread adoption of this policy for VFA assessment might nonetheless significantly boost demand for these systems in the U.K. and lead to more sales of these units.

Also in the news

Aidoc, Anteris Technologies, Brainsway, Brightsinsight, BVI, Cerevasc, Compremium, Guardant Health, Highmark, Lucid Diagnostics, Machina Medical, Medtronic, Omnia Medical, QT Imaging, Sonomotion, Surgentec, Trisol Medical, Truvian Health, Venus Concept