Patent disputes over medical technology exert a significant influence on a company’s fortunes in the marketplace, and a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reinforces yet again the importance of patent protection for device manufacturers. In a decision filed May 24, the Federal Circuit decreed that patents for catheters held by Teleflex Innovations were not rendered ineligible by what Dublin-based Medtronic plc had asserted was prior art, thus dealing Medtronic a blow in its efforts to have the five Teleflex patents in question rendered null.
Jewelry used to adorn the human ear is not the stuff of legend where medical technology is concerned, but a clip-type device, similar to an earring, that can be worn on the tragus of the ear might soon become daily wear for those who suffer from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Researchers at the University of Oklahoma say their self-administered clip can relieve POTS with just one hour’s use per day over a period of two months, a finding that might prove an inexpensive and convenient treatment for as many as one million Americans who currently have few treatment options.
Robocath SAS is about to embark on a limited market release of its robotic platform, the R-One+, which will not only make performing coronary angioplasties easier and safer but will protect cardiologists from radiation, CEO Lucien Goffart told BioWorld in an interview. However, the launch comes on the heels of a decision by Siemens Healthineers Inc. to discontinue its robotic-assisted endovascular cardiology business as it did not meet the company’s “initial expectations.”
Pulsed field ablation (PFA) seems to have seized the moment in the field of cardiac electrophysiology, given its seemingly superior performance over other ablation modalities as a treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). New data from three studies were presented at this year’s annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society that further confirm the value of PFA as a treatment for both persistent and paroxysmal AF with data sets that seem to confirm that PFA is poised to sweep aside the current standards for ablation, potentially overturning a treatment paradigm that took decades to establish.
Heartpoint Global Inc. will begin human trials of its Intellistent device shortly and expects to make submission to the U.S. FDA in 2024, Seth Bogner, its chairman and CEO told BioWorld in an interview on the sidelines of the EuroPCR conference in Paris. Intellistent is a multi-lumen stent system for interventional adjustment of pulmonary blood flow in congenital heart disease. It is a minimally invasive device that will meet an unmet need in pulmonary artery hypertension caused by congenital heart disease, said Bogner.
Elixir Medical Corp. reported that the Bioadaptor randomized controlled trial which compared its Dynamx coronary drug-eluting bioadaptor system to Dublin-based Medtronic plc’s Resolute Onyx drug-eluting stent (DES) in de novo native coronary arteries, met its primary endpoint of target lesion failure (TLF) non-inferiority at 12 months. The results were presented at a late-breaking clinical session during the EuroPCR 2023 conference in Paris.
Abbott Laboratories Inc. reported late-breaking data from the Bright study which showed that its Triclip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) system reduced tricuspid regurgitation and improved the quality of life of patients with leaky tricuspid valves. The results from the largest real-world dataset were presented, for the first time, at the EuroPCR 2023 conference in Paris.
It has become apparent that introducing two stents into the body to treat a patient with a bifurcation disease is not necessary and can be harmful, David Hildick-Smith, the lead investigator in a study, told delegates at the EuroPCR conference in Paris. Presenting late-breaking clinical data of three-year follow up results of different stenting strategies in patients with true left main stem bifurcation lesions, Hildick-Smith said that the results showed that only one in five patients needed a second stent.
Sensydia Corp. reeled in $8 million in a financing round to advance its noninvasive Cardiac Performance System (CPS) platform, which uses heart sound analysis to enable earlier detection and better therapy guidance for patients suffering from heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. The funds will be used to finalize product development, acquire tooling, begin manufacturing and make submissions to the U.S. FDA.
Magenta Medical Ltd. has raised $55 million to fast-track the development of the world’s smallest left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The financing round was led by Orbimed Private Investment LLC. With the participation of existing investors, New Enterprise Associates, Pitango VC Ltd. and Alive MS Ltd. “We will use this funding, in particular, to advance the clinical programs in the U.S. towards our first FDA approval,” David Israeli, CEO of Magenta Medical, told BioWorld.
