Apple Inc. said the U.S. FDA has approved the Apple Watch's atrial fibrillation (AF) history feature under its rigorous Medical Device Development Tools (MDDT) program that specifies what devices health professionals can rely on.

Lund, Sweden based-Paindrainer AB received notification from the European Patent Office that it intends to grant this patent application for its digital tool, Paindrainer, which coaches users in managing their pain and provides guidance on how to reach a personalized activity balance to reach an optimal functional level and alleviate pain.

The U.S. FDA’s device center launched a new health care program designed to provide patients with a seamless home health care environment that stitches together various health care functions into an integrated system that eases the patient’s use of such technologies. The initiative, part of the agency’s health equity agenda, will rely on augmented and virtual reality and requires the development of a prototype that will be rolled out in underserved areas with several overarching objectives, including the democratization of clinical trial participation.

South Korean med-tech companies Nunaps Co. Ltd. and Share & Service are the latest to clear domestic approvals for digital therapeutics as the government ramps up R&D funding for artificial intelligence-based medical technologies.

Smart Reporting GmbH raised €23 million (US$24.5 million) in a series C funding round for its medical reporting software which automates and streamlines physicians’ workload. The funding is a “significant accelerator” for the company, “catalyzing business growth, product development, and expansion into international markets,” Wieland Sommer, founder and co-CEO of Smart Reporting told BioWorld.

Crescom Co. Ltd., of Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, gained domestic approval for its AI-powered software to grade knee osteoarthritis, dubbed MediAI-OA, while launching a new AI-mobile platform, Onzaram, to help manage child growth care.

With the recent hack of Change Healthcare back in the news, a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives took up the subject of cybersecurity, which included only a couple of mentions of medical devices. However, witnesses at the hearing emphasized the role of the federal government in thwarting foreign cybersecurity threats against health care facilities, with John Riggi of the American Hospital Association stating, “we need the [federal] government to go after bad actors overseas.”

Butterfly Network Inc. expanded its collaboration with the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Global Ultrasound Institute and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to increase access to maternal/fetal ultrasound technology. The program will bring 500 IQ+ systems and ultrasound training to six provinces in South Africa, following a successful introduction in late 2022 in Kenya.

Telehealth received a much-needed boost from the COVID-19 pandemic, but normal reality has settled in and a number of telehealth bills have surfaced in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) advised other members of the House that a recent extension of temporary Medicare telehealth coverage added $2 billion to Medicare spending, a fact which he said forces legislators to ensure that “whatever we move out of committee is paid for.”

With the recent hack of Change Healthcare back in the news, a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives took up the subject of cybersecurity, which included only a couple of mentions of medical devices. However, witnesses at the hearing emphasized the role of the federal government in thwarting foreign cybersecurity threats against health care facilities, with John Riggi of the American Hospital Association stating, “we need the [federal] government to go after bad actors overseas.”