Anaconda Biomed SL recently received CE mark for the Ana5 funnel catheter, designed to improve mechanical thrombectomy in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The company hopes that the device, which has a vessel-matching diameter funnel to maximize the capture of blood clots, could be the holy grail in mechanical thrombectomy.
With more than 60 acquisitions completed in the last decade, Stryker Corp. shows little fear in committing to offers that allow it to obtain the companies and technologies that have driven its impressive growth in stock price – up from $92 in Jan. 2015 to $356.70 in Jan. 2025. Still, the definitive agreement to buy Inari Medical Inc. for $4.9 billion comes in at the upper range, along with the $4 billion acquisition of Wright Medical Group NV in 2020 ($5.4 billion with debt included), $3 billion for Vocera Communications in 2022, and $2.8 billion for Sage Products in 2016.
French consortium Booster is developing a personalized emergency treatment of ischemic stroke in its work on brain clot personalized therapeutic strategies for stroke emergent reperfusion. The aim is to refine the patient prognosis based on blood clot clinical and radiological characteristics and propose more effective drug treatments with a new generation of intracranial stents.
Johnson & Johnson business Cerenovus Inc. is launching a balloon guide catheter for the U.S. and Canada stroke market. The Irvine, Calif.-based company’s Emboguard device is designed to remove blood clots by controlling blood flow during mechanical thrombectomy procedures. It is the latest addition to the Cerenovus stroke portfolio, which includes the Embotrap III revascularization device, the Prowler EX microcatheter, the Cerenovus large bore catheter and Cerebase guide sheath.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed to drop its national non-coverage policy for pulmonary embolectomy, a procedure for which multiple devices have been cleared or approved by the FDA. Several stakeholders, including more than one med-tech trade association, had requested such a change, and CMS indicated that much more evidence will be needed before it can forge a national coverage policy that would eliminate the impending geographically differentiated patient access.
Royal Philips NV is launching its Quickclear mechanical thrombectomy system in the U.S. four months after obtaining FDA clearance. “Quickclear's intuitive design simplifies the entire thrombectomy procedure work flow. Our new medical device can help bring cost-effective solutions in both the hospital and outpatient care settings,” Chris Landon, senior vice president & business leader, image guided therapy devices at Philips, told BioWorld.
Wall Street has stabilized enough after the recent pandemic-induced volatility to offer enthusiastic support to a med tech generating significant revenue that already reached breakeven during the first quarter. Inari Medical Inc. priced its IPO at the top of an already upwardly revised range to raise $156 million. It sold 8.2 million shares at $19, above the prior range of $17 to $18. Shares of the Irvine, Calif.-based company (NASDAQ:NARI) then more than doubled to hit about $43 on its first day of trading.
The mechanical removal of clots from the brain has become increasingly standard in ischemic stroke cases. Last year, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines expanded the recommended window for its use up to 24 hours an event. Aspiration-based device stroke treatment startup Imperative Care Inc. has now raised an $85 million series C round to back the marketing of two recently cleared products on this front.
