Siemens Healthcare ($SI) snagged FDA clearance for its Magnetom Spectra 3 Tesla MRI system, a device the company says provides state-of-the-art imaging at a lower cost than its competitors.
Magnetom Spectra is a 3T scanner, the current high standard for magnetism in MRI machines, and Siemens says the device provides high-resolution imaging and rapid scan times. The company expects the device to quickly snap up a market share in the U.S. thanks to its pricing, which "opens the door to 3T imaging technology for a wider range of healthcare facilities than ever before," Siemens Vice President Ioannis Panagiotelis said in a statement.
The German giant is also touting the device as more energy-efficient than its competition, making it more practical for non-hospital uses, like private radiology practices and clinics.
The U.S. launch of Magnetom Spectra is all part of Siemens' renewed focus on its healthcare unit, which it plans to bolster by introducing new products in a two-year initiative the company calls Agenda 2013.
And while the 510(k) nod from the FDA is certainly a welcome development for Siemens, the company has also run afoul of the agency of late, getting two warning letters this summer over its manufacturing of diagnostics products.
- read Siemens' release