The UK’s CMA has reiterated its belief that Advanz Pharma charged excessive and unfair prices for liothyronine in the UK, following a separate ruling that provided detailed guidance on how such matters should be evaluated.

Third-quarter device financing at $2.38 billion – almost half of that amount from CooperSurgical's $1.1 billion bridge loan – was double the Q2 total, while device acquisitions showed a steep decrease at $3.38 billion versus Q2's $33.4 billion. Diagnostics fundraising also was up in the third quarter, reaching $2.4 billion (a 133% increase over Q2) mostly from Thermo Fisher Scientific's $1.5 billion follow-on offering, which accounted for 63% of the total. In line with the previous quarter's $1.7 billion in M&A, Q3 diagnostics acquisitions had an aggregate value of $1.8 billion, led by Konica Minolta's $1 billion buy of Ambry Genetics.

The global market for robotically assisted systems (RAS) is expected to reach $5.3bn by 2021, a CAGR of 11.7%. Meddevicetracker expects this hot market, long-dominated by Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci systems, to see rising competition from innovative companies developing robotic systems that are smaller, portable and less costly and offer surgeons innovative features that allow them to perform even more precise and user-friendly, complex surgeries. In this feature, we'll take a closer look at the overall market, highlighting the competitive landscape as well as limiters and growth opportunities. We'll also take a deep dive into RAS systems and their applications. Surgeons of various specialties provide key insights about the pros and cons of different systems.

The global market for diagnostic and guided interventional cardiology products is expected to reach $4.8bn by 2021, and is driven in large part by the rising elderly population and increasing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Meddevicetracker expects that intracardiac echocardiography (ICE), guide wire-based intravascular stenosis assessment (FFR) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems will drive overall market growth, given their high demand, which is supported by clinical evidence needed to bring cost savings and improved outcomes. Physicians' preference for using noninvasive and minimally invasive diagnostic techniques in cases where results are inconclusive is also changing the landscape of innovation. In this feature, we'll take a closer look at the overall market and its regional perspective, the competitive landscape of the three fastest-growing segments ICE, FFR and OCT, and the latest emerging technologies, as well as provide insight into what physicians think of these technologies.