Natick

Three of the least safe Bay State hospitals are located in Central Massachusetts, according to a report compiled Wednesday by a nonprofit.

Boston Scientific plans to eliminate 1,100 to 1,500 positions worldwide over the next two years, the Natick-based medical device company announced Wednesday.

In an era of competition from national and international institutions, pricey technology and uncertainty about coming regulations, what's a small local bank to do? The obvious answer, chosen by large numbers of banks across the country over the past couple of decades, is to merge with, buy, or be bought by, a rival. In Massachusetts, though, the situation is a bit different. Bruce Spitzer, spokesman for the Massachusetts Bankers Association, said 75 percent of the organization's members are mutually chartered banks. That means they can't be acquired by stock banks — which include big players like Bank of America — without going through a complex and lengthy conversion process.

The first of 6,400 lawsuits against Boston Scientific (BSX) regarding the Natick-based company's transvaginal mesh devices will go to trial March 10, a lower-court judge ruled last week.

The TJX Cos. has proposed a $23 million, 96,000-square-foot expansion of its headquarters in Framingham.

Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that's developing cancer-killing drugs, announced it has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to a proposed initial public offering of its common stock.

Saint Vincent Hospital and MetroWest Medical Center are now officially under a new owner.

Natick-based Infinium, Inc., a metals production technology company, said it has received a $1 million U.S. Department of Energy Grant, plus a $100,000 matching grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) to accelerate development and commercialization of its new aluminum production technology.

Just as Boston Scientific wrapped up a years-long fight over stent patents, the Natick-based medical device manufacturer was hit with another suit by the family of the inventor of the pacemaker, alleging a secret deal.

A medical device made by Boston Scientific of Natick that's used to treat severe forms of asthma has been shown to be safe and effective, according to data published online in a medical journal.