Accuray Asia Ltd. and a subsidiary of China Isotope and Radiation Corp. (CIRC) have formed a joint venture (JV) to manufacture and sell radiation oncology systems in China. Joshua Levine, president and CEO of Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Accuray Inc., noted that the JV's unveiling followed an 18-month evaluation process. "We believe that . . . the JV will be ideally positioned to effectively address unmet patient needs and improve lives in the world's largest market for radiation oncology."
Abbott Laboratories expects its medical devices business to stay strong in 2019, as it forecast high single-digit sales growth for both the first quarter and the full year in this space. Executives from the Abbott Park, Ill.-based company made this prediction during the fourth quarter and full-year 2018 earnings call this week.
New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson (J&J) executives expressed enthusiasm with Q4 and full-year 2018 results Tuesday, even as pricing pressure continued to affect orthopedics. While the company reported its 2019 full-year guidance for sales of $80.4 billion to $81.2 billion, Cowen analyst Joshua Jennings noted that the consensus estimate had been $82.57 billion. Still, he saw progress with medical devices, along with the company's other business segments. "These sales trends, along with what we view as conservative 2019 guidance ranges, should be enough to support shares," he wrote.
Highlife SAS, a Paris-based med-tech company focused on the development of a transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) system to treat patients suffering from mitral regurgitation, recently closed a €32 million (US$36.4 million) round of equity financing.
Medtronic plc, of Dublin, reported that the first patient has been enrolled in the Embrace targeted drug delivery (TDD) clinical study with the Synchromed II intrathecal drug delivery system. The prospective, multicenter, postmarket Embrace TDD study will enroll about 100 patients with chronic, intractable, nonmalignant primary back pain with or without leg pain at up to 15 sites in the U.S.
SAN FRANCISCO – The question of the possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) took center stage at the Digital Medicine and Medtech Showcase being held during J.P. Morgan Week, with members of the community marking the official launch of the Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAIH).
