Celltrion Inc. said it would acquire Iqone Healthcare Switzerland SA in the fourth quarter of 2024 for about ₩30 billion (US$21.34 million) to expand its European business. “This move represents a strategic shift in our growth strategy,” Taehun Ha, Celltrion vice president and Europe head, said in a statement Nov. 15.
Celltrion Inc. said it would acquire Iqone Healthcare Switzerland SA in the fourth quarter of 2024 for about ₩30 billion (US$21.34 million) to expand its European business. “This move represents a strategic shift in our growth strategy,” Taehun Ha, Celltrion vice president and Europe head, said in a statement Nov. 15.
The U.K. government has launched a £100 million (US$122 million) fund that will accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help tackle some of the biggest challenges in health care.
The recent greenlight from European regulators to Tasso Inc. to market its Tasso+ device in the EU brings another solution to the market for blood collection Tasso has developed the Tasso+, a single-use blood lancing device that collects a microliter capillary blood from the upper arm. Tasso claims that it is the first device of its kind to get both CE mark and U.S. FDA approval.
Tissium SA reported the close of a series D funding round, raising $54 million from investors both new – such as Mérieux Développement SAS – and long-term, including Cathay Capital Co. Ltd., Crédit Mutuel Innovation SAS and original investors, Sofinnova Partners SAS.
Researchers from the French institute of health and medical research (INSERM) and the University of Bordeaux, France, have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to leverage hospital data for trauma patients. They have published results for a new algorithm capable of classifying trauma-related emergency room visits in the Journal of Medical Internet Research – Artificial Intelligence. “Thanks to this new AI tool, we have generated highly accurate data that allows us to accurately classify the mechanisms of trauma, which represent one third of emergency room visits in France,” said Gabrielle Chenais, research specialist and data scientist at the Bordeaux Population Health (BPH) Research Centre. BPH is a research body run by INSERM and the University of Bordeaux.
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act is still in the thick of the legislative process, which seems likely to ladle even more regulatory liabilities onto AI software used for medical purposes. Bodo Wiegand, senior advisory at Viopsy, told attendees at a May 18 webinar that between the promise of yet more regulation along with existing coverage and reimbursement hurdles in the EU, developers of medical software are considering whether they should steer clear of developments that qualify as AI simply because of the extraordinary time and expense associated with generating revenues for these projects.
Olympus Europa SE & Co. KG is launching three Endoclot products, two hemostatic agents and a submucosal injection agent, in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. This new portfolio was developed by Santa Clara, Calif.-based Endoclot Plus Inc., which expanded its distribution with Olympus from the U.S. to EMEA in December 2022. “The addition of their solutions to our portfolio allows Olympus to contribute to safe treatment in gastrointestinal procedures. We aim to improve patient outcomes and hereby elevate the standard of care,” said Stefanie Kaufung, EMEA business unit manager gastrointestinal endotherapy at Olympus.
Med-tech companies are facing a new reality of high interest rates, inflation, bank failures, and geopolitical turmoil that are impacting financing and M&A opportunities. To secure finance and attract partnership deals they must keep their product simple, focus on proof of concept and ensure that it has quality, delegates at the LSX World Congress in London heard during a panel presentation.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) equity fund will no longer be managed internally by the European Commission (EC) after September. Alterdomus Management Co. SA, a Luxembourg-based fund manager, will make the final decisions on which life science companies to invest in. The aim is to optimize how the EU’s main tool for driving innovation and economic growth in Europe operates.
