BIOTECH / BIOMEDICAL
Compiled by Leslie Berkman and Danielle A. Fouquette, Times staff writers
Laser System: A new Food and Drug Administration approval may also improve the fortunes of Trimedyne Inc., the Tustin manufacturer of medical laser systems.
Howard K. Cooper, Trimedyne’s president and chief executive officer, said Monday that the company has received federal clearance to market its Model 4000 Nd:YAG laser system for use in a wide range of surgical procedures, including an increasingly popular technique for gallbladder removal.
This year has seen a steep decline in the sale of Trimedyne lasers, which were originally designed as part of a system using heat to open clogged blood vessels in legs. Sales of the lasers plunged when the prospect of their use to also unclog heart vessels was called into question.
