Olympus hiked device prices amid superbug outbreaks

Amid an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant superbugs linked to their medical scopes, medical device manufacturer Olympus Corp. hiked prices more than 25 percent, according to Kaiser Health News. Doctors at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center asked Olympus to loan them replacement scopes after numerous infections were traced to the company's products, but Olympus instead offered to sell the provider new scopes at  28 percent price markup, according to emails obtained by the publication. Olympus spokesman Mark Miller told the publication that rather than evidence of profiteering, the emails are simply "standard business discussions within Olympus and between company personnel and customers," and credited Olympus' recent financial success to a strong position in the market. Article