St. Jude, Boston Scientific tout renal denervation results; Infraredx partners up with Philips;

@FierceMedDev: DOD agency commits $70M to develop brain-monitoring implant. Item | Follow @FierceMedDev

@MarkHFierce: Apollo Endosurgery, a 2012 Fierce 15 winner, aims for big growth by snatching up Allergan's obesity device business. Story | Follow @MarkHFierce

@MichaelGFierce: ICYMI: A blog post from the FDA late last week highlighted the agency's efforts to regulate nanotechnology. Blog | Follow @MichaelGFierce

> St. Jude Medical ($STJ) said studies of its EnligHTN renal denervation system show that patients still have a sustained reduction in blood pressure 18 months after their initial procedure. Item

> Infraredx has signed a deal with Philips ($PHG) under which the multinational giant will market its TVC vascular imaging system alongside its own X-ray devices in North America and Europe. News

> South Dakota economic development officials are trying to recruit medical device companies to the state. Story

> Vention Medical, a company that offers design, engineering and manufacturing services for medical devices and components, is snatching up Fast Forward Medical, a Minnesota startup that designs and manufacturers catheters. Item

> Boston Scientific ($BSX) revealed that its Vessix renal denervation system sustained a 29.6 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure at 12 months. More

> Alere ($ALR) boosted its revenue by 9% to $753.9 million last quarter, but the weight of its recent acquisitions deepened its net loss by almost 270% to $24.8 million. Results

> Italy's Sorin has fully recovered from the impact of a 2012 earthquake. The cardiac device company said it generated substantially higher 2013 third quarter revenue and adjusted net profit compared to the same period a year ago. Item

Biotech News

@FierceBiotech: Popular on FierceCRO.com: InVentiv opens U.K. hub as EU demand climbs. Article | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: The ax drops at troubled Merck as big restructuring gets underway. Story | Follow @JohnCFierce

@DamianFierce: Ex-Calistoga chief Gallagher joins VC Frazier Healthcare to steer biotech bets. News | Follow @DamianFierce

> Calithera grabs $35M round to fund first slate of cancer drug studies. More

> Eli Lilly partners with Pfizer on its high-risk PhIII pain med tanezumab. News

Pharma News

@FiercePharma: isn't getting post-marketing data on fast-tracked drugs, per JAMA. Required studies undone or unreported. JAMA report | Follow @FiercePharma

@CarlyHFierce: Biogen's Tecfidera drives rosy Q3 results, higher forecast. ICYMI yesterday | Follow @CarlyHFierce

> Vertex to slash 370 jobs in shift away from hep C drug. News

> Sunk by generics, Pfizer clings to emerging markets, cancer meds. Article

Pharma Manufacturing News

@EricPFierce: What drugs are up for grabs by generic makers next year? Here's the FiercePharma list of 2014 patent losses. | Follow @EricPFierce

> Wockhardt profits crater after U.S., U.K. plant bans. More

> Manufacturing glitch leaves Novo insulin cartridges with bad fills. Report

> Gilead expanding facility that makes highly anticipated hep C drug. Story

> India's plan to inspect China plants stalled. Article

Biotech Research News

@EmilyMFierce: I took a look at 5 promising preclinical drug programs across industry/academia for this latest report. Feature | Follow @EmilyMFierce

> Fast-acting antidepressants discovered. Report

> New obstacle found in search for HIV/AIDS cure. Item

> Certain microRNAs might be viable Alzheimer's targets. Article

> CytomX 'probody' kills pancreatic cancer cells, leaves healthy tissue intact. Story