The Swiss start-up will conduct a Phase II study on a compound that may reduce or prevent pre-term labor contractions, licensed from Merck Serono. It hopes to follow in the footsteps of another women's health company, PregLem, which provided exceptional returns with the same CEO and similar investors.

The latest product approvals and launches.

Noteworthy news from medtech start-ups. This month we profile Magellan Spine Technologies, which aims to improve disc annular repair and r4 vascular, which is developing biomimetic-coated catheters.

One of the few surgical procedures that does not routinely involve closing tissue is a lumbar discectomy to repair a disc herniation, because up until recently there has been no easy and effective technique. The standard of care is to let the surgical opening attempt to heal on its own. However this neglect results in roughly 15% of cases requiring reoperation due to reherniation. Anulex Technologies Inc.’s Xclose tissue repair system provides surgeons with the opportunity to approximate and close the tissue of the anulus fibrosus immediately following a discectomy.