Business
Should We Fear the 2010 Budget?
The Wall Street Journal reports that doctors at the American College of Cardiology's annual conference voiced concerns about increased pressures on reimbursement for certain procedures. Doctors who perform angioplasty and implant heart stents are concerned about the potential for...
Hard Times Don't Stop Terumo
As many companies continue to downsize in Michigan, two subsidiaries of Japan-based Terumo Corp. are expanding in a town near Ann Arbor called Scio Township. Terumo Cardiovascular Systems and Terumo Heart Inc. have created nearly 150 new jobs in the area last year and could be...
Device Makers Look to Device Makers for Funding
In what looks to be a trend-setting action, Medtronic Inc. led the funding effort for a developer of catheter-based devices used to treat hypertension. On Monday, the medical technology giant raised $47 million for Ardian Inc. (Palo Alto, CA). Other participants included Advanced...
Engel Cuts Path in Western U.S.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place yesterday at Engel North America's new technical center in Corona, CA. Engel manufactures injection molding machines for thermoplastics and elastomers. The technical center is designed to offer support to Engel's customers in the western part of...
Biotech Centers Spring Up and Start Up
With spring approaching, perhaps it is fitting that the latest bumper crop seems to be biotech incubation centers. This week alone, two such facilities have seen high activity. The North Carolina Biotechnology Center will invest $2.5 million in a new organization intended to...
Cashing in on a Healthy Industry
Investors will be looking closely at the medtech industry for a number of reasons. According to Matthew Clawson, a partner at investor relations firm Allen...
The Imaging Gap
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become incredibly sophisticated. The newest technologies, such as machines from Siemens boast 3T field strength and total imaging matrix. The problem is that not every healthcare facility has the latest and greatest MRI system. If you've ever...
Medtronic Acquires Two for Big Bucks
In a bold (and expensive) move, Medtronic acquired two firms this week, one of which is for a record-setting sum. Medtronic has agreed to pay $700 million up front cash for CoreValve (Irvine, CA), plus two potential $75 million milestone payments. It is believed to be the largest...
Record Numbers Attend MD&M West
Attendance at the MD&M West belied fears that the economic downturn is adversely affecting the medical device industry. The device industry is largely thought to be recession resistant. Record numbers of exhibitors and attendees at the expo seem to support such optimism in the...
Evolution of an Industry
Great post at Xconomy.com from Clif Alferness on the evolution of how medical device start-ups find funding. His basic premise is that as devices began to be more profitable, venture capitalists replaced the home garage shops and angel investors early in the process. Now, those VCs...