The recent €15 million (US$16.3 million) deal that Affluent Medical SAS signed with Edwards Lifesciences Inc. for its heart products does not take away from its ambitions of creating a European med-tech company, Sébastien Ladet, CEO of Affluent Medical, told BioWorld, but was part of the company’s broader strategy to expand the markets for its products.

The U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence endorsed the use of testing for the CYP2C19 genotype for management of clopidogrel usage after ischemic stroke and heart attack, but the agency is specific about the use of tests by Genedrive plc and Genomadix Inc. in point-of-care settings as alternatives to lab testing.

Esperto Medical Inc. could soon offer a non-invasive method for blood pressure measurement for critically ill patients based on results seen in a study published in PNAS Nexus. Esperto’s Resonance Sonomanometry technology uses acoustic stimulation with ultrasound imaging to provide continuous, non-invasive readings.

Protembis GmbH received €20 million (US$21.66 million) in financing from the European Investment Bank to develop its cerebral embolic protection system, Protembo. The intra-aortic filter device deflects embolic material away from arteries leading to the brain during left-sided heart procedures including transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

The U.S. CMS proposed a series of changes to the Medicare series of codes for diagnostic-related groups, and device makers had pointed remarks about some of those proposals.

The first economic modelling of Boston Scientific Corp.’s pulsed field ablation system in U.K.’s National Health Service showed that it is more cost-effective as a treatment for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation compared to standard cryoablation.

It’s a quad-pack for Edwards Lifescience Corp. as it reported its third and fourth deals this month – agreements to buy Jenavalve Technology Inc. and Endotronix Inc. for a combined up-front cost of about $1.2 billion plus up to $445 million in contingent milestone payments.

Magenta Medical Ltd. raised $105 million in financing that will go toward clinical trials and to secure U.S FDA approval for its Elevate system, the world's smallest heart pump. The substantial investment haul was “a vote of confidence” from the investor community for what the company is doing, David Israeli, CEO of Magenta told BioWorld.

Edwards Lifesciences Corp. said it has exercised its option to buy Innovalve Bio Medical Ltd., an early stage transcatheter mitral valve replacemen company, for $300 million in cash following its initial investment in 2017. Since that time, Edwards said Innovalve has demonstrated progress in its program with promising early clinical experience.

Edwards Lifesciences Inc. struck three deals totaling €15 million (US$16.3 million) with Affluent Medical SAS to gain access to its mitral valve technology. Edwards secured an exclusive option to acquire Affluent subsidiary Kephalios, which makes the Kalios adjustable mitral ring, for €5 million (US$5.44 million); paid €5 million more for global, non-exclusive licensing of Affluent’s intellectual property related to its biomimetic cardiac mitral valve replacement technology; and invested a further €5 million to acquire 9.21% of Affluent.