CDRH receives record number of complaints in 2010; Medtronic to change key study;

> The FDA's Center for Devices & Radiological Health received a record number of complaints in 2010, but disputes with the watchdog agency's medical device oversight arm were halved last year, according to the FDA's ombudsman. News

> Medtronic is changing part of a key study for its catheter-delivered heart valves, which is needed to win U.S. approval, so that patients who face serious risks if they don't get new valves will all get one. Story

> Caliper Life Sciences and Seegene will work together to create molecular diagnostic products using the two companies' technology. The products will be co-marketed by the two companies. FMD report

> A Holy Grail in the drug-delivery business is the quest for a needle-free way for diabetics to take their insulin. Galway, Ireland-based Aerogen and San Francisco-based Dance Pharmaceuticals believe they have found the secret passageway--through the nose. And they've announced a drug-delivery partnership to develop an inhaled-insulin device. Article

> DJO President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Cross will step down on June 30 from the positions he has held since 1995, the Vista company said Monday. Article

> A simple, automated method of tracking E. coli uses a laser to detect and monitor the microbe in potentially contaminated bodies of water or waterways. The technique described this month in the International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design could reduce the incidence of waterborne disease outbreaks. News

> Norgenix Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Spartanburg-based J M Smith Corporation, and Fertility Focus Limited announced a partnership for the co-promotion of the Fertiloscope, a CE marked and 510(k) approved surgical instrument for the early diagnosis and immediate corrective surgery of physical causes of female infertility. Norgenix release

And Finally... Robert Pozen, the chairman of MFS Investment Management and a board member at Medtronic, is said to be mulling a run for the U.S. Senate. The Boston Herald noted that Pozen's substantial personal wealth made him a viable candidate, but said he may be lacking in the "charisma department." And columnist Joe Battenfield added, "He could make Martha Coakley look like Lady Gaga by comparison." News