Gastric artery embolization and injectable beads have shown promising results in treating morbidly obese patients, according to preliminary findings from the GET LEAN (Gastric Artery Embolization Trial for Lessening Appetite Nonsurgically) trial presented at the Radiological Society of North America (Oakbrook, Ill.). By performing gastric artery embolization, a decades old method interventional radiologists have used as a way to stop bleeding in emergency situations, researchers have been able to suppress an appetite-stimulating hormone made in the stomach – ghrelin, which has led to weight loss for patients in the study.
Liberator Medical Holdings Inc. (LBMH; Stuart, Fla.) shares (NASDAQ:LBMH) soared 25 percent in heavy trading Friday, closing at $3.34 a share, on the news that C. R. Bard Inc. (Murray Hill, N.J.) is buying the company for $3.35 per share, or about $181 million. The transaction is expected to close in 1Q16.
With an FDA approval of its Proclaim elite spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system in hand, St. Jude Medical Inc. (St. Paul, Minn.) could find itself poised to take a greater share of the SCS market.
A couple of upcoming device approvals could boost Lombard Medical Inc.'s (Irvine, Calif.) offerings in the endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) space. The company has two big products on the horizon for the U.S. market – its Intelliflex delivery system and the Altura endograft system, a device the company gained access to when it acquired Altura Medical (Menlo Park, Calif.) for $50.5 million back in June.
