Cardiovascular Business - October/November 2007 - (Page 41) News Beat [ pharma companies in the courts ] J&J stent case fails, moves to federal appeals court [ trends ] Global catheter market to top $19B by 2012 The global catheter market is estimated at $13 billion for 2007 and is forecasted to reach $19.4 billion by 2012, according to a new report released from market research firm BCC Research. Cardiovascular catheters have the largest share of the market at 38 percent, including both diagnostic and therapeutic catheters. Johnson & Johnson tried, and failed, a risky tactic in its much-publicized stent patent case, when its lawyers attempted to prove it had not infringed on Boston Scientific’s patent by highlighting the safety concerns about its own product. The judge refused to overturn the jury’s decision, stating that J&J’s evidence was “too speculative.” In separate cases two years ago, both companies were found to have infringed on each other’s patents. Now, both companies intend to appeal the verdicts of their respective cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. Frost & Sullivan reported that the European external defibrillators market earned revenue of $296 million in 2006, and is expected to reach $440 million in 2013. eU defibrillator use rising N.Y. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg filed a joint lawsuit against Merck, the maker of Vioxx, for misrepresenting the dangers the drug posed to its users in state Supreme Court. Damages are expected to reach the tens of millions. Despite its initial reports deeming Vioxx as highrisk to cardiovascular patients, the suit accuses Merck of waging an aggressive advertising campaign, which caused New York doctors to prescribe Vioxx to patients whose cardiovascular conditions made them especially susceptible to the drug’s negative effects. N.Y. officials file lawsuit against Merck over Vioxx costs Heart associations launch new cardiac rehab measures The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, the ACC and the AHA in October jointly released a new set of procedure measures aimed at enhancing patient enrollment in cardiac rehabilitation programs and setting standards of excellence. [ new products ] Cordis brings two new catheters to U.S. market Cordis has introduced its Fire Star Rx PTCA Dilatation Catheter and its Dura Star Rx PTCA Dilatation Catheter into the U.S. market. The Fire Star balloon features a low pre-dilatation profile and the Dura Star balloon is suited for use with both drug-eluting and bare metal balloon-expandable stents. Heart disease patients should take precautions before undergoing any surgery, even noncardiac surgery, to reduce the risk of a cardiac event, according to new guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. The guidelines, featured in the Oct. 23 issue of Circulation and JACC, provide a framework to consider a person’s risk of a cardiac event in the perioperative period of noncardiac surgery. For instance, patients should not stop taking cholesterollowering drugs before surgery. New ACC, AHA guidelines for noncardiac surgery [ risk management ] Aloka debuts ultrasound units Aloka has introduced two ultrasound systems with platforms for cardiac and vascular imaging, the Alpha 10 (pictured at right) and Alpha 7. The Alpha 10 incorporates cardiovascular features such as stress echo, tissue Doppler imaging/strain, TEE transducers, full reporting capabilities and DICOM networking. FDA clears plaque-clearing device The FDA has granted clearance to Cardiovascular Systems’ device, Diamond 360, which clears plaque from blood vessels in the legs, arms and feet. CardiovascularBusiness.com Cardiovascular Business 41 http://www.CardiovascularBusiness.com
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