In light of the US import alert placed on AquAdvantage salmon, developer AquaBounty Technologies is looking for potential partners in markets including China and the Middle East that are "more biotechnology friendly and also great markets for salmon," says AquaBounty's CEO Sylvia Wulf.
The latest Healthcare Quarterly report by Moody's Investors Service shows the orthopedics and spine sectors increasingly using robotic-assisted procedures, resulting in strong growth for medical device firms with major investments there, particularly Medtronic and Stryker. The report also predicts similar consolidation activity this year compared with last year, with most deals being "tuck ins."
The rise in cerebral infarction and ischemic stroke cases, along with government and nonprofit efforts to raise awareness, are expected to drive a surge in demand for stent retrievers and other neurovascular thrombectomy devices, Persistence Market Research says. The report notes there have been positive outcomes for NTD-related clinical trials conducted over the past few years.
A prospectus has been filed by Avedro for an initial public offering in hopes of raising $86 million.
Biocept has entered into a securities purchase deal to sell about 990,000 shares of its common stock to institutional investors for about $2.2 million in gross proceeds.
A prospective trial of the FlowerCube single-use sterile implant and instrument system developed by Flower Orthopedics found it reduced patients' intraoperative time by 33% compared with traditional implants. Use of the system also yielded savings of $1,300 in third-party reimbursement costs when the surgery is performed at an ambulatory surgery center.
Scientists from the University of Queensland in Australia have unveiled new ultrasound technology that uses nanofabricated ultrasound sensors contained in a silicon chip. The device is "a near-perfect ultrasound detector, hitting the limits of what the technology is capable of achieving," said professor Warwick Bowen of UQ's Precision Sensing Initiative.
A $500,000 grant from Grand Rapids SmartZone will enable the Michigan-based applied Medical Device Institute of Grand Valley State University to study the development of medical devices using specialized 3D printing technology. The institute is partnering with contract manufacturer MediSurge and 3D printing firm Carbon for the initiative.
The FDA has granted Verily Life Sciences 510(k) clearance for use of the on-demand electrocardiogram feature on its Study Watch. The clearance allows for display of single-channel ECG rhythms, as well as the recording, storage and transfer of the data.
AstraZeneca China has been given exclusive rights to market Xuezhikang capsules, a natural lipid-regulating drug, in China. The deal with Luye Pharma is the first of its kind.