Expanded Indications for Immunicon’s CellSearch

Immunicon’s CellSearch Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Kit has received FDA clearance as an aid in the monitoring of patients with metastatic prostate cancer. The kit is now cleared for three of the four most prevalent cancers; a combined ≈$1 billion market, according to the company. The CellSearch CTC kit...

Exactech Expands Direct Distribution Abroad

Exactech, a developer of orthopedic implant devices, surgical instruments and biologic materials, announced yesterday the opening of a wholly-owned distribution subsidiary in Japan and the planned acquisition a distribution subsidiary in France. Japan and France are two of the largest orthopedic device...

New Competition for OraQuick Advance? Sublicense Agreement Expands Opportunity for Chembio’s Oral Fluid HIV Diagnostic

Chembio Diagnostics has acquired a worldwide, non-exclusive sublicense from Bio-Rad Laboratories. Under the terms of the agreement, Bio-Rad will permit Chembio to manufacture and market a rapid test for both HIV-1 and HIV-2 under Chembio brands. Bio-Rad will retain rights to patents claiming the HIV-2 virus...

MedicalRecords247: A Lesson in Destructive Marketing

One of the surest and quickest ways to alienate your target audience is through the use of comment spam. It pains me to see a new business adopt a terrible, cheap marketing strategy. Such is the case with MedicalRecords247 – an online service that manages personal health records. Here’s one of several...

ATS Medical’s CryoMaze: Initial Clinical Results Promising

The Cox-Maze procedure creates a series of incisions in the right and left atria of the heart to interrupt the conduction of abnormal electrical impulses which cause Atrial Fibrillation (AF). This allows sinus impulses to travel to the atrioventricular node as they normally would. The Cox-Maze procedure has...

Google to Tackle the Electronic Personal Health Record Industry with a Patient-Centric Focus; Monetization Opportunities Abound

The Cleveland Clinic will facilitate Google’s potential domination of the electronic personal health record (PHR) space. Google chose the Clinic because they offer 100,000 patients the tools to manage their medical records online and coordinate care with doctors using a PHR suite called eCleveland Clinic...

U.S. Supreme Court Rules 8 to 1 in Favor of Medtronic in Riegel v. Medtronic

The decision affirmed the dismissal of the lawsuit brought by Charles Riegel, who was injured after a Medtronic balloon catheter burst during an angioplasty procedure in 1994. Makers of medical devices are protected against liability for personal injuries provided the FDA has approved the device before it...

Medical Device Alternatives for Treating Depression

In the U.S., millions suffer from psychological disorders including depression, anxiety and insomnia. Doctors typically rely upon pharmaceuticals to treat the underlying symptoms. The negative side effects of these drug regimens have prompted many to look for alternative treatment methodologies. Electronic...