Focused on oral therapies for obesity, diabetes and rare diseases, Boston-based Syntis Bio Inc., which raised $15.5 million through seed funding last year, emerged from stealth to advance its synthetic tissue-lining technology and a pipeline of candidates.

Abbott Laboratories received U.S. FDA clearance for its Lingo and Libre Rio over-the-counter continuous glucose monitoring systems, enabling it to challenge Dexcom Inc. in this rapidly growing market. Dexcom received FDA clearance for its OTC Stela continuous glucose monitor in March.

Novo Nordisk A/S’s once-weekly human insulin analogue for adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus could be a useful tool for patients and physicians, the U.S. FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee said May 24, but it also agreed that the risks outweighed the benefits for improving glycemic control.

Once-daily insulin treatment is getting a challenge from Novo Nordisk A/S’s once-weekly option. The U.S. FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee meets Friday, May 23, to review the BLA for once-weekly Awiqli (insulin icodec), a human insulin analogue from Novo for adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

News out of the Heart Rhythm Society 2024 meeting May 16-19 highlighted the rapid disruption pulsed field ablation (PFA) devices have wrought in cardiac arrhythmia treatment, so it is little surprise to see that PFAs are among the top five technologies with transformative potential identified by Clarivate plc in its Medical Technologies to Watch in 2024 report. The impact of the other four – continuous glucose monitors (CGM) for diabetes, neurostimulation devices, surgical robotics and renal denervation – has been just as revolutionary, if longer in being realized.

Despite the bullish outlook in its quarterly earnings call, which included raising the midpoint of its full-year guidance range, Abbott Laboratories stock slipped on its light second-quarter outlook.

In a sweet indication of an improving capital market for med-tech companies, Biolinq Inc. landed $58 million in bridge financing to support completion of the U.S. pivotal trial of its intradermal glucose sensor and submission to the U.S. FDA. The round brings the total raised to more than $170 million. With good response so far, the company is optimistic that it can attract more funding in short order. “Biolinq also plans to raise a series C financing of more than $100 million to support commercialization at the end of this year,” Biolinq CEO Rich Yang told BioWorld.

A metabolite that suppresses appetite and food intake after exercise could be the reason for the weight loss observed in patients treated with metformin to control blood glucose. A study conducted by a group of scientists at Stanford University showed how this antidiabetic drug induced the biosynthesis of N-lactoyl-phenylalanine (Lac-Phe), which has an effect reducing the body mass index.

Thermology Health Ltd. is looking to raise £3 million to £4 million (US$3.8 million to US$5 million) to help bring its thermal imaging technology to patients to better diagnose and prevent diabetic foot ulcers, Yuval Yashiv, CEO told BioWorld. The company’s AI-driven remote patient monitoring platform measures the temperature of the skin on the foot and detects whether an ulcer is forming, thereby preventing thousands of foot amputations and significantly reducing health care costs, said Yashiv.

Roche AG debuted a new continuous glucose monitor (CGM) at the Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes conference in Florence, Italy, last week, but how appealing users will find it remains unclear – as is the market opportunity given the entrenched position of Abbott Laboratories and Dexcom Inc.