Diagnostic Medical Imaging (DI) is part of the broader market of “medical devices”. It has revolutionised healthcare over the years by enabling doctors, specifically radiologists, to diagnose diseases early, and with certainty. Equipment is typically divided into complex high-end machines such as CT and MRI scanners, and technically simpler devices such as ultrasound scanners. These [...]
A new MRI scanning technique being investigated in Toronto could one day help physicians identify patients on the path to developing Alzheimer’s disease, and do so at a cost far less than molecular imaging of amyloid deposits, according to an in-depth profile of the project published by theToronto Star. Read more here.
Age catches up with us all at some point. For the Baby Boomers, that point is arriving year after year, with 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day from now until 2030. It’s no secret our elderly population will grow to levels never before seen in the U.S. Meanwhile, the obesity epidemic rages on and other [...]
SHINE Medical Technologies, Inc. (SHINE), a Wisconsin-based company dedicated to being the world leader in safe, clean, affordable production of medical isotopes, announced today that it has entered into a strategic long-term supply agreement with GE Healthcare, a division of the General Electric Company, for supply of molybdenum-99 (moly-99). This is the first announcement of a [...]
Continued scientific publications, legislative efforts, and public education about the value of CT colonography (CTC) are vital for achieving acceptance and reimbursement of the screening nationally, according to an article published in the December 2013 issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Read more here.
The once U.S.-centric device business is going global. Startups are forming worldwide, and companies—even American ones—are thinking more about how to innovate with non-Western patients in mind. “Traditionally, people have been very focused on the U.S. market, but now making sure a device is efficient enough to be sold in places like India and China [...]
A leak at a South African Nuclear Energy Corp. plant this month has caused a global shortfall in the supply of isotopes used in millions of medical procedures every year, including treatment and diagnosis of cancer. Read more here.
A European Parliament committee finally voted on proposed reforms to the region's medical device regulatory process. Industry insiders were likely apoplectic about the outcome: The group came out heavily on the side of a U.S.-style premarket approval system for high-risk devices. Read more here.
Among the AdvaMed study's conclusions: Average inflation-adjusted prices for the 7 biggest medical device categories dropped from 2007 through 2011. The trend has taken place as hospitals have increasingly turned to tighter spending controls. Medical device prices continue at less than 50% of the pace of inflation in the overall U.S. economy. Read more here.
On September 19th, the U.S. Senate passed an amended version of the Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act, or HR 527, which was approved by the House of Representatives earlier this year. It still needs to be officially signed into law, but this is a major step to averting a helium shortage that had been looming [...]