ML10

Robot Surgery questioned on patient benefit and economics in USA study.

US sales of medical devices will invite a 2.3% tax from next January and US companies are unsurprisingly up in arms at the prospect. As a European medical technology vehicle we were invited to comment…. so we did.

Biotronik has put its technology to the test in January at an independently held “connectathon”. The results validate the company’s claims and represent a step towards home monitoring of key clinical parameters which is integrated with patients’ electronic health records.

The UK’s Department of Health(DOH) has published the terms of reference for its forthcoming review of the PIP scandal.

If we want to introduce one measure to prevent a PIP recurrence, it’s the unannounced site audit.

medlatest attempts to stir up a hornets nest… with a well-intentioned effort to improve patient care by improving the way companies keep medical professionals informed.

Opinion piece on how the PIP scandal is flushing out a mixed bag of arguments. But at least we’re thinking about the subject.

MHRA comes out fighting “misleading” Lancet

A sizeable group of clinicians and St Jude representatives have met to discuss the issue of “externalised” Riata implantable defibrillator leads.

New guidance, issued jointly by industry bodies in USA and EU, is targeted at maintaining sound business ethics at distributor level.

Stryker Corporation has announced that it’s Biotech division has reached a settlement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, agreeing to pay a non-tax deductible fine of $15 million for one misdemeanour. Thirteen other felony charges will be dismissed.

Stanmore Implants announces its launch of a unique, fully personalised knee implant system. This year’s “must have” accessory?

After studying data relating to 3404 hips enrolled in 18 comparative studies and over 830 000 operations in national registries, researchers showed only limited evidence of comparative effectiveness of various hip implant bearing combinations.

Planmed’s Verity, a new, mobile extremity scanner for orthopedic imaging of the extremities has gained CE mark approval, bringing a new level of accuracy, speed, low dosage and adaptability to CT scanning.

Please, no more talk of who’s to blame and who’s carrying the can. This week’s VFTM is a breast-free zone… almost.

In this editorial we ask whether it’s joined up thinking to claim that the PIP situation, just because it’s a private sector issue, means all private healthcare will be riddled with problems and providers not willing to cooperate on their solution?