Venture capitalists may be stingy these days but it seems what little money they’re willing to spend is going toward Anulex Technologies Inc. in Minnetonka, Minn.The company said Thursday that it raised $18 million in a Series E financing round. And Anulex still plans to raise at least $2 million more, said CFO David Noel.That [...]

Fresh off the launch of a next-generation version of its spinal-tissue repair device, Anulex Technologies has raised $3.8 million, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.The funding comes in the form of debt and options, and was raised from 11 investors.Last month, Anulex began marketing a new version of its Xclose tissue-repair device, whichuses [...]

Someday, in the not-so-distant future, EnteroMedics Inc. officials might look back at late 2009 and laugh. Or cry.That ultimately depends on whether the Food and Drug Administration ultimately approves or rejects the company’s groundbreaking Maestro device. Approval means enormous financial success, the only implantable neurostimulation device in the United States designed to treat obesity. Rejection [...]

Here are some news/notes on a day in MedCity, Minnesota:Uroplasty Inc.’s stock price jumped 4.6 percent Tuesday after the company announced positive results from study of its incontinence treatment, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. The movement comes after the Minnetonka-based medical device developer reported favorable results from a large study to be published [...]

Here are some news/notes from a day in MedCity, Minnesota:Mayo Clinic said Thursday that it returned to profitability in 2009, thanks mostly to large investment gains and expense control.The organization reported income of $333 million, a 4.4 percent operating margin, after breaking even in 2008. Mayo generated $7.6 billion, a 5 percent gain from 2008. [...]

Ground was supposed to have been broken in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to Tower Investments. Now, after delays and increasing skepticism from the public, John Pierce, senior vice president at Tower Investments LLC, said that plans have changed.

This is the second major divestiture for AMS in the past six months. The Minnetonka-based company sold its Ovion sterilization technology to Mountain View, Calif.-based Conceptus Inc. for $23.6 million last October.

The difficulties Olmsted County plaintiffs face in pursuing a medical malpractice claim against the Mayo Clinic, by far the area’s largest employer, were apparent in a recent appellate court decision in Becker et al. v. Mayo Foundation. The case involved an appeal from an Olmsted County jury’s finding that the clinic was not negligent in failing to report suspected abuse of an infant.

The group practice has been planning a standalone treatment center for three years, but targeted the east metro suburb after failing to negotiate a contract to staff the Woodwinds ER.

Medica Encore is targeted at the pre-retirement boomer generation ages 50 to 64 who lack traditional health coverage through employers or other group sponsors, the company says.