Hologic touts mammography tech; Agea Medical snags $6M;

@FierceMedDev: Stryker, OrthoSensor renew knee replacement co-marketing agreement. More | Follow @FierceMedDev

@MarkHFierce: 2013 nominations for the FMD Fierce 15 have begun. More | Follow @MarkHFierce

 @DamianFierce: The year is young, but med tech companies are already slashing thousands of jobs. Here's a look at the deepest cuts. Report | Follow @DamianFierce

> Michigan doctors used a 3-D printer to make a bioresorbable trachea splint implant for a baby with a fatal condition involving collapsed airways. Story

> Volcano ($VOLC) reported positive results for its iFR/Fractional Flow Reserve Hybrid technology, designed to help physicians assess lesions. The combo method demonstrated just as effective as standard FFR but saved more than half the patients from having to endure hyperemic drug administration. More

> Cardiovascular Systems' ($CSI) orbital atherectomy technology proved safe and effective after 30 days in study results the company presented at EuroPCR. News

> Hologic's ($HOLX) 3-D mammography system demonstrated a significant reduction in recall rates and a sizeable increase in cancer detection compared to standard methods in a new study. Item

> California's Agea Medical has raised $6 million of an $8 million round, money the company will use to market its device that uses vapor to ablate uterine cavity tissues. Story

> InspireMD's ($NSPR) MGuard embolic protection stent had a lower mortality rate after 6-months than traditional bare-metal stents, the company reported. More

Biotech News

@FierceBiotech: Feature: Top 10 Biotech CEO Pay Packages of 2012. Special Report | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: A "rational" market finally develops an appetite for biotech IPOs. Story | Follow @JohnCFierce

@RyanMFierce: Cash-strapped biotech Seaside Tx fails PhIII test for pioneering Fragile X drug. More | Follow @RyanMFierce

> Cardeas banks $34M round for PhII antibiotic. Item

> J&J taps top blockbusters in the pipeline, lays out global R&D strategy. Article

> FDA panel backs low-dose rollout of Merck's sleep drug suvorexant. News

> BTG snaps up new technologies in $420M deal splurge. More

Pharma News

@FiercePharma: Forest Labs' Howard Solomon to retire from CEO job after 37 years up top, the last few rather stormy. More | Follow @FiercePharma

@EricPFierce: GlaxoSmithKline says Aussie strong dollar, wages lead to 120 job cuts at packing plant in Australia. Article | Follow @EricPFierce

> Merck, Lilly, Pfizer share top billing in $1B doc-payments list. Story

> Forest Labs CEO to step aside at year's end after decades at the helm. News

> Daiichi accuses Ranbaxy shareholders of hiding info before buyout. Article

Pharma Manufacturing News

> J&J consumer healthcare faces more issues, this time in Brazil. Item

> Glaxo packs up a tablet packaging line in Australia. More

> FDA cites Boehringer Ingelheim plant in Germany. Article

> Malaysia's Pharmaniaga slates drug plant in Saudi Arabia. Story

Vaccines News

> Sanofi edges closer to universal flu vaccine. More

> Pfizer points to pandemic potential of Prevnar 13. Item

> Inertia at Pakistan's NIH threatening vaccine programs. Article

> Old whooping cough vax linked with better protection. Story

> Analyst taps Bristol, Roche cancer immunotherapies for explosive growth. News