Acceleron/Celgene’s drug was effective across all endpoints in transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, but Acceleron CEO Habib Dable notes key secondary endpoints could be most meaningful to doctors treating these patients.

Lagging the antibodies in the PCSK9 race, MDCO’s candidate brings certain strengths, not the least being a fundamentally different mechanism. But where the big boys will target larger populations in multiple settings, MDCO is hunkering down in the channel it knows best – the hospital cath lab – counting on changing practice behavior to speed its uptake.

With the recent success of Ardian’s Symplicity Renal Denervation System, drug-resistant hypertension has emerged as something of a device market “gold rush.” Some observers estimate there are now as many as 40 companies developing various device-based therapies for resistant hypertension, including most of the big names in the cardiovascular device arena – Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson, and Covidien PLC – along with a number of start-ups, all of which are racing to stake a claim in this highly promising market. Only time will tell which companies will be successful – even Medtronic, the first player, has yet to complete its sham-controlled US trial. But the technology’s early promise, along with the sheer size of the opportunity and the acute unmet need, clearly have peaked the interest of investors, manufacturers, and physicians alike, all of whom are chasing after what one participant has called “the next biggest thing in cardiology.”

Noteworthy news from medtech start-ups. This month we profile CardioPolymers Inc., which is developing a highly purified form of seaweed that, when implanted into the heart, has the potential to stop or even reverse the progression of congestive heart failure. We also profile Aura Medsystems, which is developing photodynamic soft-tissue repair technology.