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Major Chinese breakthrough for pSivida - patent granted

This first patent grant in China is important as China has the highest incidence of primary liver cancer in the world with 345,844 cases in 2002 and is a logical target market for BrachySil. The potential lower cost of the Chinese registration pathway and the vast need of BrachySil like products make China an important commercial target.

9 May 2005

Solar cell implant may restore some sight for the blind

Ophthalmologists at Rush University Medical Center implanted Artificial Silicon Retina (ASR) microchips in the eyes of five patients to treat vision loss caused by retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The implant is a silicon microchip 2mm in diameter and one-thousandth of an inch thick, less than the thickness of a human hair.

1 May 2005

$Laser refractive surgery is a safe, effective way to correct myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism$

Laser refractive surgery is a safe, effective way to correct myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism

Hopkins researchers have found that patients experiencing vision problems following cataract removal and intraocular lens implantation (CE-IOL) may have better results from laser refractive surgery, which spares them potential complications of lens implant replacement and the inconvenience of glasses.

19 Apr 2005

More pressure to lift 13 year near-ban on silicone-gel breast implants

Hot on the heels of the FDA's rejection of Inamed's attempt to have its Silicone-gel breast implants re-instated, a second manufacturer Mentor has also tried to convince sceptical federal health advisers to the Food and Drug Administration to lift a 13-year near-ban on silicone-gel breast implants.

13 Apr 2005

Canadian Minister of Health announces information on the Scientific Advisory Panel on breast implants

"There will be an opportunity for the public to provide input on breast implants and no regulatory decisions have been made at this point. My officials have been looking at several models over the last few weeks to determine how best to receive public input," the Minister said.

12 Apr 2005

FDA hearings on silicone breast implants

On April 11-13, the FDA's advisory panel on General and Plastic Surgery Devices will once again meet to review data on the safety of silicone breast implants. The panel will vote Tuesday on Inamed Corporation's application for approval, and on Wednesday on Mentor Corporation's application.

11 Apr 2005

No link between silicone implants and systemic disease

Silicone breast implants have been scrutinized more than any medical device, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has stated.

10 Apr 2005

FDA approves first cranial dural sealant

Confluent Surgical, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the DuraSeal Dural Sealant System as the first and only product indicated as an adjunct to sutured dural repair during cranial surgery to achieve watertight closure. The FDA has approved the DuraSeal Sealant with a condition to conduct a post-approval study.

7 Apr 2005

New technology and treatments for heart and lung patients drive revisions

The process for prioritizing heart and lung transplant candidates and determining the treatments they receive while awaiting donor organs is under review by the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) during its Annual Meeting and Scientific Session this week in Philadelphia.

7 Apr 2005

FDA posts silicone gel breast implant approval information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has posted information on it's web site related to the Mentor Corporation's silicone gel breast implant pre-market approval (PMA) application, scheduled to be reviewed at a General and Plastics Surgery Devices Advisory Panel meeting April 11-13, 2005.

6 Apr 2005

Bionic eyes from Stanford

Stanford physicists and eye doctors have teamed up to design a "bionic eye," of sorts. On Feb. 22 in the Journal of Neural Engineering, Daniel Palanker, Alexander Vankov and Phil Huie from the Department of Ophthalmology and the Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory and Stephen Baccus from the Department of Neurobiology published a design of an optoelectronic retinal prosthesis system that can stimulate the retina with resolution corresponding to a visual acuity of 20/80

4 Apr 2005

New drug approved for treating endometriosis

Drug manufacturer Pfizer announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given approval for the release of depo-subQ provera 104 to be prescribed for the management of pain associated with endometriosis, a gynecological condition that affects one in ten women of reproductive age.

30 Mar 2005

Degradable glass to help new bone growth

The University of Kent is collaborating with research teams from the University of Warwick, Imperial College London and University College London (UCL) to develop novel forms of degradable glass for a variety of medical applications, including new bone growth.

23 Mar 2005

Federal database used to track trends in cochlear implant complications

Changes in the format of a federal database for mandatory reporting of major and minor complications for medical devices, including cochlear implants, could make it a valuable resource, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.

22 Mar 2005

Is that a glimmer in your eye?

A medical procedure, implanting jewelry in your eye, could be outlawed in Illinois. The cosmetic surgery was developed in 2002 in the Netherlands by the Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery and about 100 patients have had the implants in Europe. Dr. Thomas Steinemann, from the American Academy of Ophthalmology says this procedure has only been done a few times in the U.S.

7 Mar 2005

Women making strides in oral and maxillofacial surgery

In the specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery, Elaine Stuebner, DDS, is a pioneer in almost the same sense as the women who helped drive wagon trains across a brave, new world.

28 Feb 2005

New medical devices can cause new immune problems

Medical devices are traditionally thought of as fairly simple implants such as stents and hip replacements – pieces of plastic or metal that are placed in the body to handle a very specific function. But biomedical devices now on the drawing board are considerably more sophisticated and represent an unprecedented melding of man and machine.

28 Feb 2005

Better ways to heal and regenerate bones using microcomputed tomography imaging

Tissue engineers can choose from a wide range of living cells, biomaterials and proteins to repair a bone defect. But finding the optimum combination requires improved methods for tracking the healing process.

20 Feb 2005

Study aims to help heart patients adapt to implanted defibrillators

Professor Jane Irvine, of York University’s psychology department, is helping those heart patients who must use miniature implanted defibrillators to cope with the psychological stress caused by these devices. Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs) are programmed to electrically shock the heart in the event of a life threatening heart rhythm incident.

17 Feb 2005