Here are some of the top stories at MedCity News this week:
— Monday looms as a possible key turning point in the ongoing saga of the Minnesota nurses strike. That’s the day the Minnesota Nurses Association has scheduled a vote on what could become an open-ended strike by about 12,800 of the union’s members who are locked in a dispute with 14 Twin Cities-area hospitals over wages and staffing levels. A one-day strike last week that forced the hospitals to spend millions to pay and fly in 2,800 replacement nurses appears to have only cemented each side’s position.
— Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) is partnering with academia and industry to push the boundaries of nuclear medicine — and to have first dibs on commercializing the industry’s innovations. The Dublin, Ohio, company that distributes drugs including radiopharmaceuticals used in patient imaging studies, is using its industrial know-how to enable researchers to develop new products. In this way, Cardinal can be the company that is the first to make or distribute medicines developed by these collaborations.
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
— Shares of West Chester, Ohio-based AtriCure Inc. (NASDAQ: ATRC) rose more than 20 percent Tuesday, a day after the Food and Drug Administration approved the company’s AtriClip system for sale in the United States. The keen investor interest makes sense. Chief Executive Officer David Drachman called receiving the FDA’s 510(k) clearance for his company’s system “a major product and clinical milestone” that could unlock a $150 million-a-year opportunity in the growing U.S. market for atrial fibrillation therapies. The Cincinnati, Ohio-area company also has a few underdog stories that make you want to root for its success.
— The recently announced Philips Healthcare Global Advanced Imaging Innovation Center could bolster Northeast Ohio’s reputation as a hub for innovation in medical imaging technology. But it also could do a lot for the research and clinical radiology practices at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, where the center will be housed. The $38.4 million partnership of Philips, University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) was announced a few weeks ago. Dr. Pablo Ros, radiology professor and chairman of CWRU’s and UH Case Medical Center’s radiology departments and co-director of the Case Center for Imaging Research, will lead the new center. MedCity News talked with Ros about the promise the center holds for the medical center’s professionals and patients.
— Hemosphere Inc., which sells a vein-access device for chronic kidney disease patients, has hired a former St. Jude Medical sales and marketing leader as its new chief executive. Patrick Wethington spent about 10 years with St. Jude before his most recent post, vice president of sales and marketing at Sweden-based Gambro Inc., which also sells medical technology aimed at patients with kidney problems. Wethington succeeds Doris Engibous, who’d worked as Hemosphere’s CEO for the last five-and-a-half years. Engibous is leaving Hemosphere voluntary.
