Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, China will apply provisional import tariff rates lower than the most-favored-nation rates on 935 items, the State Council announced. The move aims to boost collaboration between domestic and international sectors, and to leverage resources of both to expand the supply of high-quality goods.

It doesn’t take a meteorologist to see the storm clouds of uncertainty that will continue to roll in on health care across the globe this year. While the prospects for the medical device industry may be sunnier than for other aspects of health care, some high pressure areas likely will present challenges.

China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has issued guidance governing online sales of medical devices with a focus on inspections of the products’ manufacturing facilities. The agency made it clear that the manufacturer will have to deal promptly with any deviations from the regulations or face enforcement action, signaling a new era of tighter scrutiny of online sales of these products.

Advanced Biomed Inc. reported Dec. 30 the sale of its wholly owned Hong Kong subsidiary, Advanced Biomed (HK) Ltd., and related intellectual property to buyer Wei Ha Hui for $23,000.

Bayosthiti AI Pvt Ltd. aims to make RNA sequencing and AI-based preventive health care affordable and accessible for the Indian market, leveraging intellectual property from its parent company, Biostate AI Inc.

Intuitive Surgical Inc. strengthened its position as the market leader in robotic-assisted surgery in 2025 on the back of increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures. Intuitive’s da Vinci system is seeing robust growth in procedures and installations, fueling increased revenues.

Livsmed Inc. closed the year’s biggest Kosdaq IPO with a ₩135.85 billion (US$94 million) haul Dec. 24. Livsmed specializes in the development of hand-held multi-joint laparoscopic surgical instruments for minimally invasive procedures.

Crescom Co. Ltd., an AI musculoskeletal imaging company, gained U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance Dec. 24 for MediAI-BA, its AI-powered pediatric and adolescent bone age analysis software. Classified as a class II medical device, MediAI-BA evaluates bone age and suggests predicted adult height based on growth plate status assessed by hand and wrist X-ray imaging. Prior clinical trial results demonstrated MediAI-BA had specialist-level accuracy, recording a mean absolute deviation (MAD) of 0.39 years.

Bayosthiti AI Pvt Ltd. aims to make RNA sequencing and AI-based preventive health care affordable and accessible for the Indian market, leveraging intellectual property from its parent company, Biostate AI Inc.

Nephrodite Inc.'s Holly, an implantable, continuous renal replacement system, received U.S. FDA breakthrough device designation as a novel and potentially life-changing treatment for end-stage kidney disease. The system is designed to enable continuous blood filtration and allow patients freedom to go about their days without frequent, hours-long visits to a dialysis clinic or being hooked up to a filtration system at home.