IMDA eNews 061323
The latest news affecting you and your customers…
from the Independent Medical Specialty Dealers Association
CPAP and high-flow nasal cannula
Continuous positive airway pressure and high-flow nasal cannula appeared more effective compared with conventional oxygen therapy at reducing extubation failure, the requirement for reintubation within 48 to 72 hours of removing the artificial airway, according to an analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics, reports MedPage Today.. As for treatment failure — defined as reintubation or use of another mode noninvasive respiratory support — CPAP and HFNC were both more effective compared with conventional oxygen therapy.
Chlorine dioxide sterilization chamber to open in July
Boulder iQ division Boulder Sterilization said it will open what it believes is the world’s largest contract chlorine dioxide (CD) sterilization chamber in early July, reports Medical Design & Outsourcing. The 270-square-foot chamber has capacity for two pallets at a time. Boulder, Colorado-based Boulder iQ said the new equipment will make Boulder Sterilization the only contract sterilizer offering both CD and ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization for medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic products.
SunMed to acquire Avanos’ respiratory lines
SunMed, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based manufacturer and distributor of consumable medical devices for anesthesia and respiratory care, entered into a definitive agreement with Avanos Medical, Inc., under which SunMed will acquire Avanos’ respiratory health business, including the BALLARD*, MICROCUFF* and endOclear® product lines. In addition, SunMed is acquiring two Avanos manufacturing facilities in Mexico.
Fetus spared from cystic fibrosis
A woman with cystic fibrosis was treated with elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor (ETI), a cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator, during pregnancy and gave birth to a healthy baby after experiencing complications in two previous pregnancies, reports the American College of Physicians. The mother’s other two children are affected by CF, have the F508del mutation (which is responsible for most cases of CF in populations of Northern European ancestry), and both had meconium ileus in utero and required intestinal surgery after birth. Amniocentesis showed the current fetus was positive for the F508del mutation.
Consolidation expected among commercial EtO sterilizers
The largest commercial sterilizers will likely absorb the costs of new ethylene oxide (EtO) regulations — and could consolidate smaller competitors, according to an analysis from Moody’s Investors Services, reports Medical Design & Outsourcing. Tighter controls on EtO emissions would increase capital spending and operating costs for all commercial sterilizers who use EtO. The two leading contract sterilizers — Steris and Sotera Health’s Sterigenics — use EtO, as do medical device manufacturers such as Medtronic, Beckton Dickinson, Baxter Stryker and many others. In total,, commercial sterilizers use EtO at 86 facilities in the United States. To comply with the new regulations, the EPA has estimated those commercial sterilizers will spend approximately $220 million for one-time capital projects and $68 million per year for operations and maintenance. Moody’s analysts, however, think the true cost will be even higher, citing more than $30 million in equipment upgrades by Sotera and Steris each in recent years.
Medical device innovators will participate in accelerator program
Sixty-one innovative medical companies were chosen to participate in MedTech Innovator’s four-month MedTech Accelerator program, giving them access to medical manufacturers, providers and investors. The 2023 program will culminate at The MedTech Conference, presented by AdvaMed, Oct. 9-11, when the 61 companies will present in panels and gain access to industry and investor partnering opportunities. Five of them will compete for the Execution Award, and another five companies will advance to compete in the Grand Finals competition. An audience vote will determine the winner of a $350,000 grand prize and the title of 2023 MedTech Innovator from the early-stage cohort, and a separate competition will award $300,000 in non-dilutive funding to winners of the mid-stage cohort
It’s Orlando in March for 2023-2024 conference
Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida, will be the site of the 2024 IMDA/HIRA Conference. Golfers will tee off Monday morning, March 4, and the conference will begin that afternoon. We’ll finish at noon on Wednesday, March 6