Medical Device Link.

Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry

April 1997 Cover Story
MEDICAL PLASTICS
To help manufacturers select the technologies right for developing innovative products, MD&DI presents a sampling of the new processing equipment, resins, prototyping processes, biomaterials, and surface treatments now available for medical plastics applications.

Cover photo by Roni Ramos.
Medical plastics courtesy of VPI (Sheboygan Falls, WI), Medsep Corp. (Covina, CA), Gelman Sciences, Inc. (ann Arbor, MI), and Ellay, Inc. (Commerce, CA).

IN VITRO DIAGNOSTICS:
Computer-Enhanced Flow Cytometry
by Ralph L. McDade and R. Jerrold Fulton
A personal computer and a novel assay format convert a common laboratory instrument into a state-of-the-art diagnostic device.

WASHINGTON WRAP-UP:
Congress Getting Realistic about FDA
by James G. Dickinson
Congressman Joe Barton still distrusts FDA's own reform efforts. He calls for legislative reform before a new commissioner comes on board.

R&D HORIZONS:
Engineers Strive for Partnership between Robots and People
by Greg Freiherr
Robotics is advancing faster than the ability of health-care personnel to accept it. For the time being, commercialization will require adapting the technology to this reality.

HELP DESK:
Software Can Help Manage Clinical Trials
Nancy Stark discusses finding the right clinical trials software.

SNAPSHOT:
Dealing with Change in Device Development
by Leslie Laine
Jacques Souquet on the future of device development.

EXPORTING:
India's Medical Device Market Too Big to Ignore
by Victoria Kader and Duaine A. Priestley
Significant economic reforms in the 1990s and a growing middle class have greatly increased the purchasing power of the Indian health-care system.

DESIGNER'S TOOLBOX:
Working Process Iterations into Product Design
by Sidney Levy
Developing a successful product can depend on considering the effects of process considerations when designing plastics-based medical devices.

FIRST PERSON:
From the Trenches: An Insider's View of Washington
by Jeffrey J. Kimbell
Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) executive director predicts that 1997 will be an important year for device manufacturers as well as for FDA.

BOTTOM LINE:
Going Public: Researching Options Is Crucial for Device Companies
by B. Joseph Vincent
Device companies considering when and how to make an initial public offering need to examine all the options before taking the plunge.