Here at Medgadget we get all sorts of news tips regarding new technologies and products coming to market from around the world. An interesting note we received two days ago was from a gentleman claiming to be from South Africa, and the note was about a recently announced investment in an Israeli company by a Taiwanese firm. We saw the press release about the investment earlier that day. Essentially, Life Keeper is a company that claims to have invented a patch-like device that can predict the onset of a heart attack. They supposedly claimed an FDA approval for their device. Two days ago Life Keeper announced that it sold a third of its equity for $370 million to a Micro-Star International, a Taiwanese firm. We tried to find more information about Life Keeper device but none was to be found, so we decided to wait and see how things develop. A few hours after the announcement is made, we receive an email from the South African. He suggested that we be skeptical of the announcement and hold off on publishing the news, and so we did.
Here’s a part of what he wrote:
The reason I contacted you is to forewarn you of "a major medical breakthrough" comming from Israel where a company claiming to develop the – lifekeeper a non invasive sticky patch microchip which could read multicaridiac signs as well as blood sugar level, they claim the company that MSI of Britain (I assume subsidiary of Taiwan MSi) will pay the inventors 370 million US Dollars for 37% of the JV company to be launched with option to aquire 20% at a valuation of 5 B billion US Dollars i would like to point you to www.themarker.co.il and www.globes.co.il (English versions for more information)
Being also involved with the Israeli bio med industry as applicable to my field of interest, i would loath to see an article about "an Israeli breakthrough medical technology" resulting only in tainting of true medical innovation coming from that country and its medical practitioners.
The next day newspapers in Israel published stories that claim that Micro-Star International representatives never even heard of Life Keeper and denied any deals between the two companies. Moreover, it turns out that the third highest ranking Mossad officer, and the one negotiating the release of an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas, was involved in the formation of Life Keeper. Now there’s a bizarre medical device story. To learn more about this developing scandal, follow these links:
Jerusalem Post: Intrigue surrounds biotech ‘mega-sale’…
Globes: Supposed Life Keeper buyer: We never heard of them…
Haaretz: Was new Shalit negotiator victim of financial sting?
