Medical devices and equipment
FDA approves weight loss device | USA TodayThe FDA approved a device that pumps food out of a person's stomach after they eat a meal to help them lose weight. The AspireAssist device has been criticized as encouraging bulimia but it's meant only for adults 22 and older who are obese and have failed to lose weight. Thirty percent of the calories consumed from a meal can be removed by the device.
Boston Scientific adds new warnings to surgical-mesh devices | Minneapolis Star Tribune
Boston Scientific Corp. is adding new safety warnings to the labels for its most heavily litigated products—surgical-mesh devices used to repair common pelvic disorders in women.
Zimmer Biomet breached deferred prosecution deal, U.S. says | Reuters
Indiana-based medical-device maker Biomet breached a deferred prosecution agreement it reached in 2012 to resolve a foreign corruption investigation, U.S. prosecutors said in a court filing. The U.S. Justice Department said the company now called Zimmer Biomet Holdings breached the agreement through activity in Brazil and Mexico that it disclosed in 2014, and by failing maintain a corporate compliance program.
Pharmaceuticals
Novavax to add 850 jobs | FiercePharmaBiopharmaceutical company Novavax plans to substantially grow its workforce. The Gaithersburg, Md.-based vaccine maker will increase its 400-person workforce with up to 850 jobs. The company will expand its clinical trial operations to accommodate growth among its respiratory syncytial virus program.
Biotech employee charged with insider trading | STAT
An employee at biotechnology company Akebia Therapeutics began buying stocks based on information from clinical studies for certain drugs. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Jason Chan with securities fraud, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Chan alleging insider trading and wants him to return $68,000 in illegal profits, according to the lawsuit.
Physicians
Can a bunch of doctors keep an $8 billion secret? Not on Twitter | Bloomberg.comIn New Orleans on Monday, a major medical organization attempted a feat perhaps as hard as treating the disease doctors were there to discuss. They asked a packed convention hall of attendees not to tweet the confidential, market-moving data they had flown in to see. It didn't work.
Safety, quality and clinical practice
EHRs may be causing alert fatigue | Kaiser Health NewsElectronic health records send automatic alerts to physicians, nurses and pharmacists tied to a patient's health information. But the number of alerts have become so frequent that doctors and IT experts admit that it's overwhelming and unmanageable. Clinicians ignore safety notifications between 49% and 96% of the time, a report found.
