More than 700 people in the medical device field are expected to convene in Orange County in a couple of months.
Octane, an Aliso Viejo-based booster group for startup companies, is presenting its annual medical device and investor forum Nov. 15 and 16 at the Hyatt Regency Irvine.
The group said that chief executives, business development executives, entrepreneurs, investors and academics will hear presentations and panel discussions featuring other industry executives, venture capitalists and others.
Michael Mussallem, chief executive of heart valve maker Edwards Lifesciences Corp. in Irvine, is among the local device executives scheduled to speak. Mussallem has been involved with Octane for years.
Scott Whitcup, senior vice president of research and development for Irvine-based Allergan Inc., is also a scheduled speaker.
Joshua Makower, venture partner with Menlo Park-based New Enterprise Associates, is the keynote speaker. Makower is expected to discuss the more-aggressive regulatory approach of the Food and Drug Administration and the effect on the U.S.’ global leadership position in medical devices.
Makower’s accomplishments include founding and selling Acclarent Inc., a company that developed a balloon-based device to treat sinusitis, to New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson for $785 million last year.
Other speakers include Mark Leahey, chief executive of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, a Washington, D.C., trade group.
Panel discussions are set to address topics such as healthcare information technology, best practices for medical device startup companies and how to use intellectual property effectively.
Besides panels and speakers, the forum will also allow time for device makers to meet up with potential investors. Companies that have presented in the past include Aliso Viejo-based spine device maker Vertos Medical Inc.; CardioPolymers Inc., a developer of treatments for chronic heart failure in Laguna Niguel; San Clemente-based orthopedic device maker Dallen Medical Inc.; and NeoMatrix Inc., which makes diagnostic tests for breast cancer in Irvine.
Sponsors include Edwards; Abbott Medical Optics Inc., a Santa Ana-based eye device maker; and Bausch & Lomb Inc. of Rochester, N.Y., which has a large eye surgical device operation in Aliso Viejo (see related Special Report, page 21).
Separately, Mussallem is scheduled to speak at “Forum on Healthcare 2011,” which is being presented by the Hoag Hospital Foundation.
Forum on Healthcare 2011 will take place at the Hyatt Regency Irvine on Oct. 12.
Richard Afable, chief executive of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, and Andrew Policano, dean of the University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business, are among the participants.
Topics will include how employers and employees are responding to changes brought on by healthcare reform as open enrollment season approaches; how providers are adjusting; what it means for healthcare to become more retail and consumer-focused; and whether the changes to healthcare will inspire innovation and new private-sector opportunities.
“Markman” Ruling
A U.S. District Court judge earlier this month issued what’s called a “Markman ruling” in an ongoing patent infringement suit between Irvine-based medical device maker Endologix Inc. and Cook Medical in Bloomington, Ind.
Markman rulings are used by the court to determine the meaning of disputed patent claim terms at issue in patent lawsuits.
Both companies issued press releases claiming that the judge’s ruling favored their “proposed constructions” in the lawsuit.
“We are pleased with the results of the Markman hearing, remain confident in our position going forward and intend to continue to pursue our numerous defenses,” Endologix Chief Executive John McDermott said.
Cook plans to “move forward as swiftly as possible to obtain all available remedies based on (Endologix’s) infringement of our two patents,” Cynthia Kretz, Cook’s general counsel, said.
Cook originally sued Endologix in October 2009. The privately held company claimed that Endologix infringed on its patents for two endovascular stent grafts used to treat blood vessel diseases.
Endologix’s main product is the Powerlink stent to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms, or a ballooning in the body’s main artery.
The lawsuit doesn’t have a trial date, but Endologix said it’s expected to be set for fall 2012.
Bits and Pieces
St. Joseph Health System Foundation in Orange said that it has awarded $2 million worth of grants to 36 nonprofit organizations throughout California under its wellness and prevention initiative … Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley said that it is offering DaTscan, a radiopharmaceutical imaging agent that helps doctors evaluate patients who are suspected of having Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. DaTscan is offered through the hospital’s Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Institute … Providence Speech and Hearing Center, an Orange-based healthcare provider, said it bought Newport Language and Speech Centers in Newport Beach for an undisclosed price … Cerna Healthcare Inc., an Irvine-based home healthcare and nursing company, said it introduced Internet-based services to help caregivers remotely monitor elderly clients … LehmanMillet, a medical marketing services firm, moved its West Coast office to 3 MacArthur Place in Santa Ana. The office was previously based in Irvine.
