Lush vegetation is great for a gardener, but alarming for a cardiologist. For them, the news that Angiodynamics Inc. received U.S. FDA breakthrough device designation for its Angiovac system to remove vegetation from the right heart is surely cheering. Right heart vegetations--masses of fibrin, platelets and infectious pathogens--are indications of serious infective endocarditis.

Boston Scientific Corp. has managed its Polarx device to another regulatory approval, this time a nod from the U.S. FDA, giving the company access to one of the world's premier markets. The news comes four months after the company obtained a CE mark for the device, opening the door to two jumbo markets in a move the company hopes will ensure the device will provide solid returns on its investment.

Peijia Medical Co. Ltd. reported the implant of its Taurustrio transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system in a first patient as part of a multi-center trial getting one step closer to launching the first TAVR system for aortic regurgitation (AR) in China.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices are all the rage for treatment of aortic valve disease, but that doesn’t mean valve reconstruction via the so-called Ozaki procedure has been consigned to the pages of medical history. The U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended that trusts in the U.K. health system use this procedure only in clinical trials at least for the time being, although the agency noted that the Ozaki procedure allows the patient to sidestep the need for long-term antithrombotic therapy, a big selling point for patients and clinicians alike.

Investors have known for some time that the GLP-1 receptor agonist class offers tremendous promise for treating the underserved obesity population worldwide, but news from Novo Nordisk A/S on cardiovascular outcomes data sent a shiver throughout the space on Aug. 8. Top-line results from the Select trial comparing subcutaneous once-weekly Wegovy (semaglutide) 2.4 mg with placebo showed the treatment reduced major adverse cardiovascular events by a statistically significant 20%.

Amarin Corp. plc has chosen Taiwan-based Lotus Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to make headway in Southeast Asia and South Korea for omega-3 fatty acid-based Vazkepa, its icosapent ethyl drug that’s facing increasing generic and pricing pressure in the U.S. and Europe.

Amarin Corp. plc has chosen Taiwan-based Lotus Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to make headway in Southeast Asia and South Korea for omega-3 fatty acid-based Vazkepa, its icosapent ethyl drug that’s facing increasing generic and pricing pressure in the U.S. and Europe.

Genesis Medtech Group received marketing approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration for its laparoscopic surgical device called Artisential, which helps surgeons in precision surgery. The approval not only adds another market in which the device is available but will allow Genesis to expand its reach in China.

Ultromics Ltd.’s Echogo Heart Failure system detects heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) from a single apical four-chamber video clip, according to a study published in JACC Advances. The study follows a consensus statement from American College of Cardiology which said that although there are now effective therapies to treat HFpEF, there is an increasing urgency for accurate diagnosis as the number of patients with HFpEF is on the rise, accounting for more than 50% of all heart failure cases.