Patients with a high risk of developing lung cancer now have a better chance at early detection with low dose CT screening. GE Healthcare (Chalfont, UK) said it is now the first company with a low-dose CT (LDCT) technology that is FDA cleared for lung cancer screening. Some physicians have already been using LDCT for lung cancer screening off label.
After reporting a loss this time last year, Cytosorbents (Monmouth Junction, N.J.) reported second-quarter net income of $1.4 million, beating Wall Street expectations. The company, which develops blood purification technology, said it had a 5-cent profit on a per-share basis in the quarter. Analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research estimated a 9-cent loss for the company on a per-share basis.
Roche (Basel, Switzerland) wove a deal worth up to $425 million for Geneweave Biosciences (Los Gatos, Calif.), a private U.S. diagnostics firm with a technology aimed at fighting drug-resistant bacteria, which is considered one of health care's biggest threats. Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) said it will pay Geneweave shareholders $190 million up front, and up to $235 million in contingent product-related milestones.
Roche AG wove a deal worth up to $425 million for Geneweave Biosciences Inc., a private U.S. diagnostics firm with technology aimed at fighting drug-resistant bacteria, which is considered one of health care's biggest threats.
Change is difficult, as Clint Carnell, CEO of Perseon (NASDAQ:PRSN) (Salt Lake City) was quick to acknowledge in a recent interview with Medical Device Daily. But when faced with the challenge of taking a 36-year-old company and completely transforming its identity, Carnell was not afraid to be bold.
Five years ago during Cleveland Clinic's 2010 Medical Innovation Summit, a panel audience was asked, by a show of hands, if they considered obesity a disease. Only about half the audience raised their hand. The other half raised their hand when asked if obesity was a lifestyle choice. Keep in mind, this was a well-educated audience comprised of healthcare executives, clinicians, and investors. And yet, only about half of them were willing, at that time, to call obesity a disease. If the same audience was polled on the topic again today, I'd like to think the outcome would be different....
Being a player in a space as competitive as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) takes some serious financial backing. Jenavalve Technology (Irvine, Calif.) has risen to that challenge multiple times, most recently with a $26.5 million Series C expansion round to support its growth in the global TAVR market.
The artificial intelligence system known to clean competitors' clocks at "Jeopardy" may soon gain the ability to "see" if IBM's (NYSE; IBM) plan to buy Merge Healthcare (NASDAQ; MRGE) (Chicago) for $1 billion goes through. IBM said the acquisition would combine Watson's advanced image analytics and cognitive capabilities with data and images obtained from Merge's medical imaging management platform. This would essentially advance Watson beyond natural language and give the health platform the ability to see, the company said.
For years, cybersecurity experts have tried to warn medical device companies that their devices are prone to hacking, but most manufacturers have been slow to respond. The industry might become more vigilant now, however, as the FDA appears to be holding manufacturers accountable for protecting their products against cyberattacks.
