Information technology
This surgery has been taught for decades using Styrofoam cups. 3-D technology is changing that | STATOne of the world’s most common surgeries in children has been taught for decades using a Styrofoam cup. Cleft lip and palate repair is a delicate procedure, and the outcome is sometimes hard to predict. For years, no other model existed. But in Toronto, a plastic surgery resident at SickKids Hospital has fused his engineering and medical skills to build 3-D printed models that resemble children’s mouths. They’ve been a welcome innovation.
Medical devices and equipment
Parkinson’s therapy gets fresh look from device makers | The Wall Street JournalDeep brain stimulation, an established therapy that modifies the brain’s circuitry to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, is attracting fresh attention from medical-device makers who believe it is underused. St. Jude Medical Inc. recently introduced a new DBS system in the U.S., and Boston Scientific Corp. is planning its own entry late next year. Both already sell the implantable devices for DBS in Europe.
Pharmaceuticals
FDA speeds up review of Roche’s Tecentriq to treat another bladder cancer | ReutersRoche said on Monday that U.S. regulators agreed to priority review its Tecentriq immunotherapy for an additional type of bladder cancer, a boost to the Swiss drugmaker's bid to expand indications for the drug.
Merrimack to sell pancreatic cancer drug to Ispenin $575 million deal | The Boston Globe
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Cambridge agreed to sell its pancreatic cancer drug and other assets to Ipsen SA for $575 million, striking a deal less than a month after another treatment failed in clinical trials.
