Medical Devices Today

Selected NIH Comparative Effectiveness Research Projects

Article preview reprinted from "The Gray Sheet" - January 11, 2010

The National Institutes of Health committed about $40 million to medical-device-focused comparative effectiveness research efforts in 2009. Here is a selection of the funded studies. Read more...

Device Comparative Effectiveness Studies Received $40 Mil. From NIH In '09

Article preview reprinted from "The Gray Sheet" - January 13, 2010

The National Institutes of Health handed out about $40 million of its comparative effectiveness research funds in 2009 to studies directly impacting devices, with more than two-thirds of that money targeting medical imaging or in vitro diagnostics applications. Read more...

Device Innovations Target ENT

Article preview reprinted from Medtech Insight - October/November 2009

The field of otorhinolaryngology is evolving as physicians turn to less invasive and more precise surgical and nonsurgical approaches to treat a variety of ear, nose, and throat conditions. At this year's meeting of the American Academy of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, held in San Diego in October, innovation was on display as researchers discussed a variety of current and emerging technologies for use in sinus and head and neck surgery. Read more...

Remote Patient Monitoring: Roadblocks to Full Adoption

Article preview reprinted from Medtech Insight - October/November 2009

Recent advances in patient monitoring technology present a number of opportunities for remote monitoring and self-monitoring of patients outside the clinical setting. While the data captured during real-life situations is of value, not every segment of the health care market is rushing to embrace the latest technology advances in this area, for a variety of reasons. In particular, the market for implantable cardiac rhythm devices sticks out as an area where many physicians (and manufacturers as well) are simply not sure how to utilize all the data that could be harvested via the latest remote monitoring technology. Read more...

Recent Developments in PFO Closure

Article preview reprinted from Medtech Insight - October/November 2009

The patent foramen ovale closure market has continued to mature in 2009, with the latest round of developments reported at the 2009 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting, recently held in San Francisco. Over 60 presentations related to PFO closure or atrial septal defect closure were presented at TCT this year, more than double the amount of PFO-related talks presented in 2008. Read more...

Nightingale-EOS Ltd.

Full article reprinted from Start Up - October/November 2009

Nightingale-EOS Ltd.'s Beam Profile Reflectometry technology evaluates coatings on medical devices by measuring the interference effects caused by the interaction of light reflecting from the coating surface with that from the substrate surface. The company's first focus is on implanted cardiac devices, primarily drug-eluting stents, where BPR can measure the concentration of the drug within the film of the coating. Read more...

AHRMM 2009: Hospitals Raise Bar on Purchasing Decisions

Article preview reprinted from Medtech Insight -September/October 2009

The task of selling into the tough-to-crack hospital market is likely to become even more challenging for device manufacturers in the future as more hospitals toughen policies regarding the introduction of new products to their increasingly cash-strapped facilities. Materials managers from around the industry have pointed messages about what it will take for suppliers to make the sale, from providing better data to proving your company's financial stability. Read more...

ESCRS 2009: The Next Wave in Cataract and Presbyopia Devices

Article preview reprinted from Medtech Insight -September/October 2009

The 2009 Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons and Presbyopia International 2009 Symposium took place against a backdrop of relative optimism within the refractive surgery industry. There are signs that the laser vision correction market may have hit bottom during the middle of 2009. Read more...

MADIT-CRT: Good News for Devices in Heart Failure, But Will Referring Physicians Care?

Article preview reprinted from IN VIVO -  September/October, 2009 

IN VIVO -- Proponents of cardiac resynchronization devices with a defibrillation function expect the recently released results of the MADIT-CRT trial to give a long-awaited boost to the overall implantable cardioverter defibrillator market. Boston Scientific Corp., the sponsor of the study, expects the FDA to soon expand the indication for its CRT devices to the roughly 70% of heart failure patients worldwide in New York Heart Association heart failure Class I or Class II, reflecting the improvements in hospitalization and ventricular output linked to CRT in the trial. Read more...

Value Proposition Is Key to New Product Success in a Cost-Conscious Medtech Market

Article preview reprinted from Medtech Insight - August/September 2009

The need for a positive economic argument when introducing a new medtech product is more critical than ever. Management teams are well aware of the need to demonstrate compelling economic data, but can a product still be successful without an economic benefit in the increasingly cost-conscious health care marketplace? Overcoming negative economics means identifying a combination of positive attributes that can overcome the economic barrier, and this thought process should be conducted well before significant R&D funds are invested. Read more...