The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s inter partes review mechanism has drawn uneven reviews in the past decade or so and Dexcom Inc. has serious misgivings about an attempt by Abbott Diabetes Care Inc. to use the process to invalidate Dexcom patents for continuous glucose monitors.
Medtronic plc received CE mark for its latest miniature, leadless pacemakers, the Micra AV2 and Micra VR2. According to the company, they are the world's smallest pacemakers, provide a longer battery life, and are easier to program than previous Micra pacemakers, while maintaining the benefits of their predecessors such as reduced complications compared to traditional pacemakers.
Cardiomech AS raised $13 million in fresh capital via a convertible loan agreement that will go towards developing its transcatheter mitral valve chordal repair technology. The round was heavily oversubscribed, indicating investors' expectations that the company’s technology may be a first-line therapy for patients suffering from degenerative mitral regurgitation.
Medtronic plc received CE mark for its Percept RC neurostimulator for deep brain stimulation, which the company hopes will transform brain modulation and empower patients in the E.U. with neurological indications. The device is designed to capture and record brain signals and provide clinicians with insights to enable them to adapt and personalize therapy for patients.
Edwards Lifesciences Corp. set analysts a-spin ahead of its investor day activities with the revelation it plans to launch its critical care unit as a stand-alone public company next year. Edwards expects that dividing the business will allow it to focus on cardiovascular and surgical markets.
Johnson & Johnson completed the previously unheralded acquisition of privately held Laminar Inc. for $400 million upfront, with undisclosed contingent payments depending on achievement of clinical and regulatory milestones starting in 2024. The deal provides the med-tech giant a potentially game-changing entree into the lucrative left atrial appendage (LAA) market.
Abbott Laboratories received U.S. FDA approval for its molecular human papillomavirus (HPV) screening test, expanding the company’s cancer screening tools. The new member of the Alinity M family of diagnostic assays can be used for screening, as recommended by current guidelines, as well as diagnosis and provide detailed information on the potentially cancer-causing genotypes of the virus.
Sibionics Technology Co. Ltd. said it received the CE mark for its continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, coined the Sibionics GS1 CGM, helping the company expand its market opportunities beyond China.
One-year results from the CLASP IID trial and registry showed outstanding results in patients with significant symptomatic degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) for Pascal, Edwards Lifesciences Corp.’s transcatheter-edge-to-edge repair (TEER) system, in a presentation at the 2023 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting in San Francisco hosted by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.
Left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion procedures are designed to reduce the risk of thromboembolism in patients who have non-valvular atrial fibrillation, but a study presented at the 2023 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting in San Francisco demonstrated that about half of patients continue to have LAA leaks – and potentially the risk of dangerous blood clots and stroke – a year after the procedure.
