The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) issued new scientific statements advocating use of quantified coronary plaque analyses in management of patients with coronary artery disease. The statements move plaque analysis based on AI-powered coronary computed tomography angiography to a defined clinical consideration in cardiac management, up from "an emerging technology."
Med-tech financings with reported values reached $23.33 billion through the first three quarters of 2025, putting the sector on pace to surpass last year’s full-year total of $25.37 billion. Activity peaked in the first quarter with $9.33 billion raised, followed by $8.23 billion in Q2 and $5.77 billion in Q3.
Shares of Mountain View, Calif.-based Heartflow Inc. have oscillated significantly over the past three months, but the results of a study of the company’s plaque staging system have breathed new life into the company’s shares, boosting them by 7% in Nov. 10 trading.
Med-tech financings reached $20.21 billion in the first eight months of 2025, on par with the same period last year ($20.26 billion) and showing a strong recovery from the sector’s recent low in 2023 ($13.71 billion). The 2025 total is still well below the record-setting levels of 2020 ($41.83 billion) and 2021 ($38.72 billion).
Aclarion Inc.'s Nociscan, an AI-augmented platform that leverages MR spectroscopy to noninvasively identify the discs causing low-back pain, enables precise targeting of surgical intervention, resulting in 97% success. That’s roughly double the rate of 48% to 54% seen in conventional procedures for discogenic lower back pain, Aclarion CEO Brent Ness told BioWorld.
Heartflow Inc. upped the price of shares in its IPO for a second time to $19 on Aug. 7 before opening on the Nasdaq as “HTFL” at $28 and climbing to $31.50 in early trading. The IPO raked in $316.7 million for the 16.67 million shares sold, giving the cardiology company a valuation of $2.27 billion.
Like waves crashing on the beach, med-tech IPOs keep on coming. Heartflow Inc. set terms for its IPO on Aug. 1, offering 12.5 million shares at a price range of $15 to $17 per share. At the top of the range, the company could raise a sunny $212.5 million. It plans to list on the Nasdaq with the symbol “HTFL.”
Heartflow Inc. continued the steady rhythm of med-tech companies filing to go public, with an S-1 submitted to the U.S. SEC on July 17. The company joins 15 others that have completed IPOs in 2025 and one other in process – Carlsmed Inc., which a company spokesperson told BioWorld is expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq on July 22.
April data and first quarter earnings reports show remarkable resilience in med tech, even as other sectors continue to suffer in response to tariffs and changing regulations. Not that tariffs proved insignificant: several companies reported annualized impacts north of half a billion dollars, but fundamentals and increased interest in med tech as a haven gave most players sufficient breathing room to absorb the impact with minimal adjustments.
A 1,000-person study using Heartflow Inc. technology demonstrated that findings of coronary plaque on heart CT scans could indicate which patients were at risk of cardiovascular events up to seven years in the future – potentially providing a road map toward screening for heart disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. and worldwide.
