Industry Insight

Who Should Get Credit for Spinal Implant Success?

Here's a nice article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer about an implantedÂ prosthesis that treats the painful symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis. Before the X-Stop prosthesis got FDA approval in November, the standard of care was steroid injections, which are wrought with potential side effects. What's not so nice about the article is that it makes no mention of the device's manufacturer. (It's St. Francis Medical Technologies Inc.

Path Cleared for Tyco Split

Conglomerate Tyco International Ltd.'s plan to split into three companies got a boost when a group of shareholders said they would drop a federal lawsuit seeking to block the breakup. According to the Associated Press , the shareholders wanted to ensure their recovery rights from a potential settlement in a securities fraud case. They have been assured that the three new companies will share the liability.

What Did Guidant Know, and When Did It Know It?

Many of you are probably familiar by now with the saga involving Indianapolis-based Guidant Corp.'s defective heart devices. But the public is about to get a whole lot more familiar with it. Some of the company's internal documents have been made public, and theyÂ seem to showÂ that Guidant executives may have been more familiar with the problems than they had let on.

Finally, Some Good News

Amid the recent spate of bad press, itâ€™s good to see that not all of the coverage is negative. An AP story in major newspapers today focuses on the advances being made in neuromodulation devices. Itâ€™s a story about the struggles of Don Falk, a patient who suffered from uncontrollable tremors caused by advanced Parkinson's diseaseâ€”that is, until he had deep brain stimulator implanted.

Welcome to DeviceTalk!

On behalf of the editors of MD&DI ,Â we would like to welcome you to our new blog, DeviceTalk. This is a blog devoted to the hot topics in the medical device industry. We will keep you informed of -- and give you links to -- breaking industry news. We will offer opinion and commentary on the crucial topics of the day. And, through the comment feature, we hope to provide you with a forum for feedback and discussion.

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