Policy & Regulation

The European Commission has issued a draft document setting out the potential conditions for joint HTA scientific consultations on medical devices taking place in parallel with consultations with an expert panel.

Device supply interruptions and withdrawals, now common in the EU, could threaten patient safety. Newly issued manufacturer guidance from the European Commission is intended to improve transparency and minimize disruption.

European cross-country HTA collaborations have much to learn from each other to keep prices from rising unfairly, Nordic health technology assessment experts say, adding that talks on collaboration are also ongoing with HTA bodies outside the continent.

When former FDAer Steve Silverman last wrote for us, there was no formal successor to Jeff Shuren as director of CDRH. With the elevation of acting director Michelle Tarver, the future is becoming more clear.

The European Commission has issued a draft document setting out the potential conditions for joint HTA scientific consultations on medical devices taking place in parallel with consultations with an expert panel.

Device supply interruptions and withdrawals, now common in the EU, could threaten patient safety. Newly issued manufacturer guidance from the European Commission is intended to improve transparency and minimize disruption.

When former FDAer Steve Silverman last wrote for us, there was no formal successor to Jeff Shuren as director of CDRH. With the elevation of acting director Michelle Tarver, the future is becoming more clear.

The European Parliament is making a formal appeal to the European Commission to accelerate its EU MDR revision plans.

This week, Medtronic and Hologic announced major safety issues; the US government awarded $110m to innovators in women’s health; CDC partnered with Quest on a bird flu diagnostic; and more.

This week, Establishment Labs Holdings announced the FDA gave it premarket approval for Motiva breast implant, Cologuard lands FDA approval for Cologuard Plus and GE HealthCare gets FDA nod for a new imaging agent. The FDA announces another expansion for TAP into ophthalmology and radiology. The AAMI and CTA will join forces to develop standards for AI and ML-enabled health care products.  

Philips has issued a recall of various Trilogy ventilators due to safety issues that may affect their ability to properly function. The US FDA has designated the recall class I, its most serious.

Smiths Medical has recalled scores of Bivona tracheostomy tubes due to a manufacturing defect that can result in disastrous consequences. The company reports multiple injuries, and one death, linked to the devices.

This week, Medtronic and Hologic announced major safety issues; the US government awarded $110m to innovators in women’s health; CDC partnered with Quest on a bird flu diagnostic; and more.

This week, Hologic announced it would pay $350m for uterine fibroid treatment firm Gynesonics; the US FDA authorized a Novocure cancer treatment and a surgical robot from CMR Surgical; and the IMDRF announced 15 new members.

The US agency hopes that the new program will make information from device clinical trials more accessible to patients, caregivers and providers, including any benefits or risks more likely to occur in certain demographics.

Richard Lowenthal, co-founder and CEO of ARS Pharmaceuticals, highlights the crucial unmet need for needle-free devices to treat type 1 allergic reactions, given challenges associated with current epinephrine injectors. Hear what’s next for the Neffy intranasal spray and ARS Pharmaceuticals.

The European Parliament is making a formal appeal to the European Commission to accelerate its EU MDR revision plans.

The College of American Pathologists wants a US district court to scrap the FDA’s final rule that unilaterally assumes oversight of lab-developed tests, but not because the college feels the agency has no business regulating them. Helena Duncan, senior director of quality at CAP, explained the college’s position to Medtech Insight.

Highlights from Medtech Insight's on-the-ground coverage of LSX in Boston. 

In a letter to US lawmakers, the Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine says the FDA’s final rule regulating lab-developed tests will stifle innovation and that Congress needs to step in and stop it.

Despite questions surrounding the SEC rule, including disputes being litigated in the US Eighth Circuit, companies must prepare to meet the new climate disclosure requirements in addition to related mandates in California and abroad. Experts emphasize opportunities beyond compliance.

As the 6 May deadline to implement the FDA’s final rule on lab-developed tests approaches, attempts to stop the rule from taking effect are set to play out in court. A panel of experts discussed the potential impact of these legal efforts, should they be successful, at the Medtech Conference in Toronto.

The College of American Pathologists wants a US district court to scrap the FDA’s final rule that unilaterally assumes oversight of lab-developed tests, but not because the college feels the agency has no business regulating them. Helena Duncan, senior director of quality at CAP, explained the college’s position to Medtech Insight.

The owner of a Chicago COVID-19 testing lab plead guilty to wire fraud for billing the government for COVID-19 tests that were not performed. Also, test developer Talis Biomedical agreed to pay $32.5m to settle a shareholder suit.