Medtech in a Minute: Medtronic, Verily, and More

Medtronic Enhances Maxor Robot with FDA Nod

Medtronic won FDA clearance for the use of navigated interbody and Midas Rex high-speed drills with the Mazor Robotic Guidance System. The company said the clearance came earlier than anticipated. The Mazor platform can now provide surgeons with procedural integration by combining the power of Midas Rex drills with the visibility and navigation from the StealthStation software.

Verily Scores $700M Investment

 Verily's latest investment round is expected to help the company accelerate key initiatives such as the Baseline Platform and its Health Platforms. Verily Health Platforms supports population health, clinical care delivery, and chronic disease management through programs like Healthy at Work, Onduo, and Coefficient. The company will also progress several of its life sciences programs across surgery, pathology, and immunology.

And in case you missed last week's Medtech in a Minute report ...

LivaNova Makes Major Changes

Following the recent decision to divest its heart valve business, LivaNova is now making what it calls “a series of enhancements” to its governance. LivaNova came under pressure earlier this year after PrimeStone Capital penned an open letter urging the company to refocus its capital on the neuromodulation business, divest its cardiopulmonary business, and either sell or close its heart valves business. The investor also recommended that the board appoint a new chairman and hire a new CFO. A medtech analyst later suggested that the sum of LivaNova's parts were worth significantly more than its current value, and that value could be created by breaking up the company.