Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/493270
22 GI Company & Technology News Lawyers from Johnson & Johnson and Boston Sci- entific presented arguments to a federal judge in a non-jury trial in New York, according to a Reuters report. Johnson & Johnson is seeking $7.2 billion in damages from Boston Scientific, which can be traced back to the bidding contest over Guidant. Boston Scientific's fourth quarter of 2014 profits slid down 19 percent. The company reported $87 million in net income, down from $108 million from the prior year period. David Gill, CFO of EndoChoice, was appointed to the board of directors and chairman of the au- dit committee of regenerative medicine company Histogenics. Non-profit association Georgia Bio granted En- doChoice one of its Innovation Awards for the Fuse Full Spectrum Endoscopy System. Norton Healthcare, based in Louisville, Ky., is the first Kentucky healthcare system to offer the non- invasive stool-based colorectal cancer screening test Cologuard from Exact Sciences. Exact Sciences and Mayo Clinic, based in Roch- ester, Minn., announced a five-year extension and expansion of their collaboration. The new agree- ment focuses on Exact Sciences' relationship with Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist and co-inventor of Cologuard David Ahlquist, MD. Ferring Pharmaceuticals appointed Pascal Dan- glas, MD, as executive vice president and CMO. The company also appointed Per Falk, MD, PhD, as executive vice president and chief scientific officer. Gilead Sciences plans to allow generic drug makers to produce a new version of its hepatitis C treatment Sovaldi. Prescriptions for Gilead Sciences' hepatitis C drug Harvoni had a 1.8 percent drop in week-over-week prescriptions for the week ending Jan. 16, but Ab- bVie's HCV treatment Viekira Pak had an increase of 55 percent, according to a Bidness ETC report. India's patent office rejected Gilead Sciences' key patent claim for its hepatitis C drug Sovaldi. Gile- ad Sciences has the option to appeal the rejection. Medigus extended its 2013 exclusive distribution agreement with Chinese pharmaceutical compa- ny Sinopharm. The agreement grants Sinopharm exclusive rights to distribute the MUSE system in China. Physicians Endoscopy and four gastroenterolo- gist partners officially opened the Greater Gaston Endoscopy Center in Gastonia, N.C. Pharmaceutical company Roche received FDA approval for the cobas TaqScreen MPX Test, v2.0. The test can be used in the detection and identi- fication of HIV, Hepatitis C virus and Hepatitis B virus in human blood. Salix Pharmaceuticals promoted William P. Forbes, PharmD, to chief development officer and president of medical, research and development. Prior to his promotion, Dr. Forbes was CDO and executive vice president of medical, research and development. Salix Pharmaceuticals announced that Carolyn Logan has decided to retire as president, CEO and a director of the company, effective Jan. 30. Salix Pharmaceuticals is working with invest- ment bank Centerview Partners Holdings to ex- plore options, such as a potential sale, according to a Reuters report. US Endoscopy released its Roth Net retriever – mini polyp. The Roth Net retriever – mini polyp is designed to offer improved maneuverability and visualization in the colon. n 19 GI/Endoscopy Company Updates to Know (continued from cover) I nnovation in medicine is consistently sought, incessantly talked about and essential for driving the field forward. Each physician specialty has its own unique pathway to advancement. Phil Doyle, director of marketing – gastroenterology with Olympus America's Medical Systems Group, shares four thoughts on the state of innovation in GI. 1. Recent strides forward. Access, visualization and documentation are the three core elements of endoscopy, according to Mr. Doyle. Major scope manufacturers have responded with updates to address all three areas. For example, Olympus has integrated Responsive Insertion Technology to allow physicians greater ergonomic control and precision when using their scopes. In terms of visualization, imaging continues to evolve. High-definition imaging has become a staple of nearly all scopes in use, but the progress doesn't stop there. For example, narrow band imaging is coming to the fore, allowing gastroenterologists to visualize the colon better than ever. Advances in image capture, such as Olympus' Pre-freeze technology, allows for improved documentation. 2. Innovation roadblocks. From regulatory approvals to clinical trials and funding, the next great leap forward, or even incremental refinement, is not an overnight process. Any new technology must undergo clinical review, receive FDA approval and break into a field already thriving with options. Ambitious technology that seeks to alter the way medicine is performed faces a slow integration process. "When innovations change clinical care, they are slower to be adopted. This represents change that needs to get buy in from a lot of parties," says Mr. Doyle. These types of technology, after receiving the necessary assurances of clinical efficacy and safety, need to accrue further supporting data and move towards becoming a part of accepted guidelines put forth by groups such as the major GI societies. 3. Biggest opportunities. Innovation is driven by the needs of the market. The shift away from fee-for-service re- imbursement and towards value-based care will be a tre- mendous driving force behind the new GI technology to roll out over the next few years. "Physician performance is going to be measured more than it was in the past, and patients will have more trans- parent data to reference when it comes to choosing physi- cians," says Mr. Doyle. "This is where some of the greatest opportunities for innovation lie. Technology can help phy- sicians achieve those necessary quality metrics." 4. Looking ahead. GI technology is going to continue to improve through sharper imaging, smoother maneuverability, etc., but one of the biggest shifts on the horizon is of a larger scope. GI tech companies will be seeking to in- tegrate their products into the larger system of care delivery. "One of the big challenges of the next five to 10 years is networking. From the computer to the equipment, everything needs to start talking to each other for all information to be more effectively shared and more easily accessible," says Mr. Doyle. n 4 Thoughts on GI Innovation From Phil Doyle of Olympus By Carrie Pallardy Phil Doyle