Boston Scientific Corp. is taking a deeper dive into the mitral valve space with a $90 million investment and an acquisition option agreement with Millipede Medical Inc. The Santa Rosa, Calif.-based company has developed the Iris transcatheter annuloplasty ring system for the treatment of severe mitral regurgitation.
Johnson & Johnson Corp. brought in about $20.2 billion in sales for 4Q17, beating Wall Street consensus of $20.08 billion. One of the bright spots for Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson was the continued improvement of its medical device division. In 2017, J&J's device offerings increased in sales by about 8.3 percent and brought in about $7 billion. This exceeded analysts' consensus of $6.9 billion.
Medrobotics Corp. is expanding into general surgical, gynecological and thoracic procedures with its latest FDA-cleared indication. The Raynham, Mass.-based company's Flex Robotic system previously had indications for oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx procedures. The company is also pursuing expansion of applications to other areas including transvaginal gynecologic procedures.
Qiagen NV has received an expanded PMA indication for its Therascreen diagnostic test to be used in conjunction with Boehringer Ingleheim GmbH's lung cancer therapy, Gilotrif (afatinib). The approval extends the labeling claim to include detection of EGFR mutations L681Q, G719X and S768I to aid the identification of metastatic non-smal-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients for whom Gilotrif is indicated.
Boston Scientific Corp. won a nod from the FDA to market its Spectra Wavewriter spinal cord stimulator (SCS) system to treat pain. The Marlborough, Mass.-based company said its SCS works by sending low electrical pulses, which vary in frequency, pulse width and amplitude, to the spinal cord to interrupt pain signals.
