Drugs

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Becton Dickinson (BD) has reached an agreement to acquire medical device firm C.R. Bard for $24 billion. BD says the transaction would improve its ability to offer products that reduce the chance of hospital-acquired infections. Bard is a leader in vascular, urology and oncology treatments.

DePuy Synthes says it is acquiring 3-D printing technology from Tissue Regeneration Systems (TRS). The technology will let DePuy create “patient-specific, bioresorbable implants with a unique mineral coating intended to support bone healing in patients with orthopedic and craniomaxillofacial deformities and injuries,” the company said in a statement.

Biogen has inked an agreement to exclusively license Bristol-Myers Squibb’s BMS-986168, a Phase 2-ready experimental medicine with potential for treating Alzheimer’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. BMS-986168 is an antibody targeting extracellular tau, the protein that forms the deposits, or tangles, in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative tauopathies.

Cardinal Health has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Medtronic's Patient Care, Deep Vein Thrombosis and Nutritional Insufficiency businesses for $6.1 billion. The businesses include 23 product categories across multiple market settings, including brands Curity, Kendall, Dover, Argyle and Kangaroo.

Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton’s responses on vaccines, contraception and abortion medication during her 9/24 Senate confirmation hearing raise concerns that ideology could influence her decision-making if she takes over the agency, MSNBC senior medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta said Friday. Gupta was particularly critical of Overton’

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton emerged from her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday (see earlier story) without resolving questions about whether she has enough Republican support to advance — and with a rapidly narrowing window for confirmation before the midterm elections. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing provided few

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA has classified Boston Scientific's recall of its Imager II Angiographic Catheters as Class I because a manufacturing problem could cause catheter tips to degrade and detach, potentially resulting in life-threatening complications. The agency announced the Class I classification 9/25, updating an Early Alert it issued

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

FDA has approved Roche’s Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for reducing the risk of relapse in adults and children aged 2 and older with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent, childhood-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who are in remission. The expanded approval covers the use of the CD20-directed antibody beyond its existing

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Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome