The company pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor misbranding charge and agreed to pay $11m in criminal penalties and another $25m to resolve civil False Claims Act allegations. Biocompatibles reportedly marketed its LC Bead product as a drug-delivery product, even though it was cleared only for embolization.

August was another slow month for announcements of medical device approvals outside the US, but the short list of non-US approvals this month includes a broad range of device-types approved, notably a much-awaited expanded indication for Medtronic’s CoreValve Evolut R, in six different territories.

UK-listed BTG PLC is on a route to a major future in interventional medicine, having built solid foundations in licensing and specialty pharma. CEO Louise Makin describes the deal- and decision-making rationale that has allowed a mid-cap player to set billion-dollar plus ambitions in interventional medicine, based on organic and M&A growth.