Innovation is "very often messy," according to Daniel Starks, president/CEO of St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota). During the company's most recent earnings call, Starks made a point to reiterate St. Jude's commitment to the global renal denervation space in spite of recent bumps in the road for the U.S. renal denervation market.

SAN FRANCISCO — Although this annual conference has long been and continues to be dominated by publicly-owned healthcare companies, once again this year there was an impressive roster of attractive private companies.