Medical Device Companies News
Chemical in Tap Water Linked to Food Allergies; Flu Season Arrives Early
A look at some of the week’s top health stories includes tap water and food allergies, FDA and device companies speeding up medical device approvals, and early flu season readiness. A new study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology links high levels of dichlorophenols–chemicals used for chlorinating tap water–to a higher risk of [...]
ObamaCare Tax on Medical Devices Prompts Pre-Emptive Layoffs
Medical device manufacturers have been preparing for a new, and potentially costly, expense in the new year. President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, becomes effective in January, and it subjects all such companies to a 2.3 percent tax. The federal statute phases in health care reform in stages. The [...]
Knee Replacements Soar Among Medicare Population
The number of knee replacement surgeries has sharply increased during the last 20 years, according to a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In addition, hospital readmission rates and corrective surgeries resulting from the knee implants rose dramatically as well. Researchers at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine analyzed [...]
Awash in Lawsuits, Medical Device Manufacturers Protest New Tax
The Supreme Court last month upheld a new tax on medical devices that is planned as a measure to fund health care reform. The 2.3 percent tax is applicable to most devices for humans, with certain exceptions, and will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013. Specific products that will be exempted from the industry [...]
Bill In Congress Ignores Medical Device Safety Over Speed Of Approval
Legislation that will make changes to medical devices and how they are approved for U.S. consumers is moving through Congress, and current revisions have diminished the bills’ ability to protect unsuspecting patients. The HELP legislation contains many amendments related to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but two stand out when it comes to [...]
J&J (JNJ) CEO Faces Pressure on Faulty Medical Devices And Recalls
Alex Gorsky took over as Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson on April 26, stepping into a position where he ultimately will be responsible for contending with the fallout from failed medical devices, such as recalled defective hip replacements and unsafe transvaginal mesh (TVM). And yet, Gorsky has told several top news outlets that [...]