Research may have pinpointed a biomarker for epilepsy after stroke, a condition with unpredictable onset and few treatment options. Funded by nonprofit Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), the Italian-based research team has discovered a protein in animal model tied to development of seizures following brain injury.
Allurion Technologies has launched its ENLIGHTEN clinical study of Elipse, a weight loss balloon swallowed via capsule and filled with liquid through a catheter, thereby avoiding surgery for patients who seek a low cost treatment option, or may have additional health complications excluding surgery. The safety and efficacy randomized and sham-controlled trial will include 400 patients across 12 U.S. sites. Elipse received CE mark in 2015.
Startup Mdclone Ltd. closed a $15 million financing to further develop and expand its health care data and analytics platform, designed to weed through huge amounts of medical data for meaningful answers. The third-round financing included returning investors for the company which aims to improve access to health care data, analytics and research capabilities while also ensuring security of patient data.
Edwards Lifesciences Corp. shared positive fourth quarter 2017 earnings with adjusted sales of $909 million, marking 16 percent underlying growth for the full year and total year sales of more than $3.4 billion, and beating earlier estimates by analysts. Each geographic area the company operates in experienced growth in organic revenue based on increased uptake of its products, reported the company. First quarter of 2018 sales are expected to amount to $900 to $950 million.
Keeping up with the ongoing stream of new study findings can be difficult for mere mortals, making artificial intelligence (AI) an important tool for clinicians aiming to keep abreast of the newest treatment options. According to Pubmed, about 50,000 papers on oncology are published each year, and the rate is expected to increase. Elekta Inc. and IBM Watson Health have inked a global deal to bring Watson for oncology's AI to its digital solutions in cancer care. One in six deaths worldwide are due to cancer, according to the WHO's 2017 Cancer Fact Sheet.
Electrocore LLC won 510(k) clearance from the U.S. FDA for its noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) device, Gammacore, to alleviate acute pain from migraine in adults. The expanded label was approved after Gammacore received clearance for episodic cluster headache in adults in early 2017. The handheld prescription device is applied to the neck to stimulate the vagus nerve through the skin, and was backed by its recent PRESTO study.
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) guidelines for acute ischemic stroke treatment have been expanded, potentially opening the window for more patients to receive therapy or procedures, with the ultimate aim of reducing disability among patients. Guidelines for both clot removal and administration of clot-dissolving therapy were increased to up to 24 hours and to patients with mild stroke, respectively. Medtronic plc, which had been involved in prior research and device advancements, shared executives' comments on the impact.
