Medical Devices News and Research

RSS

HHS creates task force to encourage medical technology innovation

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has announced that the department is forming an internal task force to weigh new ideas and promote new solutions to encourage innovation in health care and to speed the development of effective new medical technologies, such as drug and biological products and medical devices.

19 May 2004

Country Industry Forecast - European Union Healthcare Industry

The accession of ten more central and east European countries to the European Union (EU) -15 in 2004 has created a single European market, the largest market and trading zone for the healthcare industry with almost 500 million consumers. The total healthcare industry comprising pharmaceuticals and drugs, medical devices and equipment, and health services is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.4 per cent from 2003 to 2008.

11 May 2004

PPD, Inc. has announced the launch of PPD Medical Device Division

PPD, Inc. has announced the launch of PPD Medical Device, a division of PPD Development, providing services to the medical device industry with experience in developing stents, devices and therapies in the areas of interventional cardiology, endovascular, neurology and orthopedic disorders as well as wound care.

10 May 2004

Wyeth gets FDA approval for a novel protein device that enhances bone healing

Wyeth have announced that the FDA has approved rhBMP-2/ACS (recombinant human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2/Absorbable Collagen Sponge), a novel protein device that enhances bone healing, for use in the treatment of acute, open tibia shaft fractures in adults.

3 May 2004

Funding for new biomaterials for spinal disc repair and regeneration

Orthonics, Inc., an Atlanta start-up company developing new biomaterials for spinal disc repair and regeneration, has received initial funding from Viscogliosi Brothers, LLC, a New York-based closely held venture capital/private equity and merchant banking firm focused on the musculoskeletal/orthopedics industry. Terms of the funding were not disclosed.

30 Apr 2004

88 percent of children who drown are under the supervision of another person

New research revealed today by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign and Johnson & Johnson shows that 88 percent of children who drowned were under the supervision of another person, usually a family member. Supervision was defined as being in the care of another individual, not necessarily in their direct line of sight.

28 Apr 2004

7,000 U.S. hospital patients die each year and more than 750,000 are injured as a result of avoidable medication mistakes

Some 7,000 U.S. hospital patients die each year and more than 750,000 are injured as a result of medication mistakes. These errors have many causes, and many potential solutions, according to a Rutgers-Camden nursing scholar who has studied the topic extensively.

23 Apr 2004

Prominent ASTRO member appointed to APC panel

The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology would like to congratulate Louis Potters, M.D., a prominent radiation oncologist and a devoted ASTRO member, on his recent appointment to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification Groups, also known as the APC Panel.

23 Apr 2004

GE Introduces new imaging solution for diagnosing certain diseases

Patients can now experience increased peace-of-mind and enhanced expert care during cardiac and vascular treatment, thanks to a first-of-its-kind imaging system from GE Healthcare.

21 Apr 2004

Preventing antimicrobial resistance among long-term care residents

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is spotlighting an educational campaign to help long-term care medical directors and clinicians prevent antimicrobial resistance and protect the health of their residents.

20 Apr 2004

Medicaid costs for a child's trip to an emergency room or clinic can be reduced annually by at least $198

Medicaid costs for a child's trip to an emergency room or clinic can be reduced annually by at least $198 per family when Head Start parents are provided with easy-to-understand health-care guidance, according to a first-of-its kind study by the UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Health Care Institute.

16 Apr 2004

Coronary stent drives Johnson & Johnson to record profits

Johnson & Johnson today announced sales for the first quarter of $11.6 billion, an increase of 17.7% over the prior year. The increase represented operational growth of 12.3% and a currency impact of 5.4%. Domestic sales were up 15.1%, while international sales increased 21.8%, including operational growth of 7.8% and a positive currency impact of 14.0%.

13 Apr 2004

More Americans resorting to stomach-shrinking surgery

Americans are increasingly resorting to stomach-shrinking surgery so much so that health experts and insurance companies are becoming alarmed about the safety issues and cost of such operations.

11 Apr 2004

New database for U.S. makers of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical devices

A new international database has been released that identifies measurement procedures and materials that will help U.S. makers of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical devices ensure that their products comply with European Union requirements.

9 Apr 2004

Discovery of gender difference in cartilage cells may help spinal disc repair

When biologist Barbara Boyan discovered science’s first proof of biochemical differences between male and female cartilage cells, she began to question the approaches she and other researchers were taking to study cells. Was their thinking biologically relevant?

30 Mar 2004

New resorbable beta-tricalcium phosphate bone void filler

Therics, Inc., a subsidiary of Tredegar Corporation, announced that it has received FDA clearance to market a new resorbable beta-tricalcium phosphate bone void filler device used to treat osseous defects of the skeletal system.

22 Mar 2004

Supercomputer to help the diagnosis of epilepsy, stroke, depression and other brain conditions

The University of Oregon, Electrical Geodesics, Inc. (EGI), and IBM have announced a new project that uses grid computing, Linux and IBM supercomputer technology to speed and improve the diagnosis of Epilepsy, stroke, depression and other brain conditions.

22 Mar 2004