The Canadian biotech has put itself on the block after a year of changes that have transformed the company from a commercial-stage entity with pipeline assets to a one-drug tax play.

Brief summaries of recent medtech market and industry developments. This month we cover continuing pressures on the DES and ICD markets, update Edwards’ efforts to roll out its Sapien device for TAVR, and report on QLT’s decision to sell its punctal plug technology.

Five years ago, QLT Inc. charged in hard and snapped up an experimental drug-eluting punctal plug technology created by incubator ForSight Labs LLC. At the time, we reported in START-UP that the punctal plug – designed to deliver drugs directly into the eye – might make or break the company. Looks like it was the latter. Last month, QLT’s newly elected board of directors instituted a broad reshuffling of the company. The board cut the work force by 68% and it intends to divest the still-experimental punctal plug technology, hoping to sell the line outright or spin it out into another entity.