With a total market potential estimated in the multibillion-dollar range, the drug-coated balloon opportunity is attracting a growing list of competitors, including several leading multinational cardiovascular device companies that have entered the space via recent acquisitions. DCBs still need to prove their worth in large, long-term clinical trials, but the ultimate proving point for DCBs could center on cost: if they can offer an effective treatment option that is significantly less expensive than existing devices, DCBs may provide a compelling economic argument.

The capital drought that hit life science companies the past three years worked its way upstream in 2011, as several venture firms said they wouldn’t either continue in the life sciences or raise new funds. But our annual tally of life science Series A rounds presents a surprising twist: Series A rounds are up, not in blockbuster numbers by any stretch, but the downward trend of the recession years has finally been reversed. Among the year's nearly 100 Series A rounds we found plenty of oncology and peripheral vascular disease start-ups, as well as big bets on rare disease, along with some considerable nods to emerging markets.

Brief summaries of recent medtech market and industry developments. This month we cover Covidien's acquisition of ev3, J&J's moves in the endovascular market, DePuy's launch of new products in hip revision, and FDA regulation of consumer genomics.