The U.S. FDA has granted breakthrough device designation for Bioventrix Inc.’s Revivent Tc Transcatheter Ventricular Enhancement System for heart failure following a heart attack. The system is designed to exclude scar tissue that has formed on the left ventricle in a procedure that is less invasive than current medical options and better than drug therapy, allowing healthy heart tissue to function more efficiently. The left ventricle is the heart’s pumping chamber, and scarring can prevent it from contracting and providing the steady circulation of blood that the body needs. Read More
Medtronic plc, of Dublin, reported good news in terms of its quarterly results Tuesday, with key revenue segments coming in line with or beating expectations. Wells Fargo's Larry Biegelsen noted that coronary and structural heart sales of $955 million exceeded the consensus of $949 million and his organization's $923 million estimate. The company pointed to its transcatheter aortic valves as helping in the boost, following the expansion into the low-risk patient population. Read More
The FDA’s Safer Technologies Program, or STeP, is part of an overarching emphasis on safety, and the related draft guidance focuses largely on the process of applying for a STeP device. However, a member of the FDA staff said on a webinar that device accessories – and devices that make other devices safer – are also eligible for the program. Read More
A team led by researchers at Washington State University (WSU) has developed a nanoparticle technology to deliver cell-killing drugs to shut down the overactive immune response that can cause damage or death in diseases like stroke and sepsis without affecting other cell types or compromising the immune system. Read More
Fractyl Laboratories Inc. is pioneering a procedure known as duodenal mucosal resurfacing (DMR) to reverse chronic metabolic disorders. This month it has reported positive results from a couple of clinical trials that are shaping its planning for a pivotal trial that is slated to start next year in type 2 diabetes patients. Read More
