The anti-trust divisionof the U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigationinto the possibility of anti-competitive practices in the medicalimaging device industry, a spokesperson for the division confirmedlast week. The agency would not
The anti-trust divisionof the U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigationinto the possibility of anti-competitive practices in the medicalimaging device industry, a spokesperson for the division confirmedlast week. The agency would not comment on further details ofthe investigation, declining to say which or how many vendorsare involved.
The investigation rose to the surface earlier this month whenindependent service organization (ISO) Imaging Equipment Servicesof Pittsburgh received a civil investigative demand (CID) forall its documents related to long-standing litigation with Picker(see story, page 4).
According to the CID, the department is investigating whetherthere has been conduct or proposed conduct involving "tyingproducts in the CT scanner market" and "monopolizationof (the) service market." Picker was unable to respond tothe CID prior to publication of this article.
ISOs will take heart in the language of the CID referring toa service market, said IES president Tom Quinn. Vendors, includingPicker in the IES case, have argued for a "single-brand theory"that lumps service with equipment in defining a market for anti-trustpurposes, he said.
Picker holds over a 90% share of the service work for its ownCT scanners, Quinn alleged. The vendor was previously found guiltyof tying supply of Dunlee CT tubes to service contracts in litigationwith now-defunct ISO Etek (SCAN 1/30/91 and 4/8/92). Dunlee isa Picker subsidiary.
Alleged tying of products by scanner OEMs more frequentlyinvolves outside suppliers, which have formal or informal agreementswith the scanner vendors, Quinn said.
Vendors often put their own technology into the developmentof these products and are concerned about losing this edge bymaking the products available to competitors. If a tying chargeholds, however, this means that restriction of the products isconsidered a method of restricting competition in service workthat requires the parts or software.
If access to the purchase of parts from independent suppliersis opened up, ISOs would be provided with a more level playingfield on which to compete with OEMs for the service business,Quinn said.
Seven Takeaways from Meta-Analysis of PSMA Radiotracers for Prostate Cancer Imaging
December 1st 2023In a newly published meta-analysis of 24 studies, researchers noted that the PSMA PET radiotracer 18F PSMA-1007 may provide more benefit than 68Ga Ga-PSMA-11 for primary staging of patients with prostate cancer and detection of local lesion recurrence, but also has drawbacks with higher liver uptake and multiple reports of false positive bone lesions.
Study: Regular Mammography Screening Reduces Breast Cancer Mortality Risk by More than 70 Percent
November 30th 2023Consistent adherence to the five most recent mammography screenings prior to a breast cancer diagnosis reduced breast cancer death risk by 72 percent in comparison to women who did not have the mammography screening, according to new research findings presented at the annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) conference.
Chest CT Study Shows Higher Emphysema Risk from Combination of Marijuana and Cigarette Smoking
November 28th 2023People who smoke marijuana and cigarettes have 12 times the risk for centrilobular emphysema than non-smokers, according to new computed tomography (CT) research presented at the annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) conference.