AliveCor Wants to Block Apple Watch Importation

AliveCor wants to block the importation of all the Apple Watches in the United States, and claims the tech giant is infringing on three counts of ECG patents. AliveCor's complaint, which it filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission, follows a federal lawsuit AliveCor filed in December alleging Apple of patent infringement. Apple won FDA clearance for its ECG app in September 2018.

If Only Illumina and Grail Could Turn Back Time...

Regulators are pulling out all the stops to block Illumina and Grail from reuniting. The Federal Trade Commission says the $8 billion deal would diminish innovation in the U.S. market for multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests. And now, the European Commission Directorate-General is reportedly scrutinizing the deal, following a request from six countries on competition concerns. Illumina launched Grail in 2016.

And in case you missed our last Medtech in a Minute report...

'Tis the Season of Mega Medtech Mergers

Last week was another big week for medtech deals. The week kicked off with news that Microsoft plans to acquire Nuance, a cloud and AI software specialist with a focus on healthcare, for $19.7 billion. Also on Monday, Diasorin announced it would acquire Luminex for $1.8 billion. Later in the week, Thermo Fisher Scientific said it will acquire PPD, a provider of clinical research services to the pharma and biotech industry, in a deal valued at about $17.4 billion. Finally, the week wrapped up with news that D8 Holdings plans to acquire Vicarious Surgical in a deal valued at $1.1 billion that would also make Vicarious Surgical a publicly-traded company.