Boston Scientific Corp. continued its journey down the acquisition highway with its announced plan to acquire stroke products maker Silk Road Medical Inc. for $27.50 a share, or approximately $1.16 billion.

Aerovate Therapeutics Inc. is shutting down the ongoing phase III portion of its Impahct study of AV-101, an inhaled version of PDGFR inhibitor imatinib, after reporting top-line data from the phase IIb portion failed to meet primary and secondary endpoints in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It was a major blow for the single-product company, sending shares (NASDAQ:AVTE) falling 93% to close June 17 at $1.65, down $22.97.

Elutia Inc. received U.S. FDA clearance for its antibiotic-eluting bioenvelope. Designed to prevent post-operative complications from the implantation of cardiac devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators, Elupro (formerly Cangaroo RM) combines slow release of the antibiotics rifampin and minocycline with a biomatrix that stimulates regeneration of a tissue pocket to surround and protect the device.

After delivering animal data to show that inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome induces weight loss in mice, Nodthera Ltd. has now demonstrated this effect translates to humans. In a phase Ib/II study of NT-0796, an orally available, brain-penetrant drug, subjects in both the active and placebo arms all lost weight, due to the calorie-restricted diet they received in the 28-day trial.

Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a congenital heart condition where the formation of the connection between the atrial chambers is defective, thus allowing left-to-right shunting and the consequent risk of atrial fibrillation, stroke and heart failure, among others.

South Korean digital health care firm Seers Technology Co. Ltd. is targeting a ₩22.1 billion (US$16.2 million) IPO on the Korea Exchange, after upping the offering price of its 1.3 million shares to ₩17,000 per share on June 4.

Kardium Inc. landed $104 million in new financing for its Globe mapping and ablation system for atrial fibrillation, positioning it to enter the rapidly changing field in the U.S. The funds will allow the company to finish its PULSAR trial, secure FDA approval and launch its pulsed field ablation system commercially, Kardium Chief Financial Officer Koert VandenEnden told BioWorld.

As renal denervation (RDN) makes a comeback for treatment-resistant hypertension, Deepqure Inc. is advancing its RDN medical device dubbed Hyperqure with the U.S. FDA granting clearance for a U.S.-based study.

Scientists from the Karolinska Institute have found two different types of cells that give rise to the fibroblasts that form fibrotic scars after spinal cord injury (SCI) depending on their location. In a study in mice, the researchers observed that pericytes acted in lesions that affect the gray matter and perivascular fibroblasts acted in the white matter.