PERTH, Australia – Australia is employing some new genomic tools to help identify SARS-CoV-2 infections and track them within communities. Illumina Inc. and the University of Melbourne have partnered to establish the Illumina-University of Melbourne Genomics Hub – a first for the Asia-Pacific region – which will bring together the best of genomic expertise and technology in Australia.

PERTH, Australia – Although Australians pay less for their drugs than patients in many other countries, Australia is falling behind when it comes to reimbursement for newer, targeted therapies, according to a report launched by Medicines Australia that assessed the timelines for registration and reimbursement of new medicines in Australia compared to 10 other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.

PERTH, Australia – Researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland have developed a way of testing whether COVID-19 patients’ immune systems are gearing up to fight the virus that causes the disease.

PERTH, Australia – The University of Queensland (UQ) and CSL Ltd. are abandoning their trials of an Australian COVID-19 vaccine after recipients generated HIV antibodies during phase I trials. The response means the antibodies produced by the vaccine can interfere with HIV diagnostic tests. However, there was no possibility the vaccine caused infection, and routine follow-up tests confirmed no HIV virus was present, the partners said.

PERTH, Australia – Med-tech company Control Bionics began trading on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX:CBL) Dec. 7 in an IPO that saw the company raise AU$15 million (US$11.25 million). Melbourne-headquartered Control Bionics develops assistive technologies (AT) that allow people with severe disabilities to communicate and control electronic devices using electromyography (EMG).

PERTH, Australia – The University of Queensland (UQ) and CSL Ltd. are abandoning their trials of an Australian COVID-19 vaccine after recipients generated HIV antibodies during phase I trials. The response means the antibodies produced by the vaccine can interfere with HIV diagnostic tests. However, there was no possibility the vaccine caused infection, and routine follow-up tests confirmed no HIV virus was present, the partners said.

PERTH, Australia – Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is requiring manufacturers of permanently implantable devices to provide patient implant cards and consumer device leaflets with their devices, beginning Dec. 1. New implantable devices will need to comply by Dec. 1, 2020, and existing implantable devices will have until Dec. 1, 2021, to comply.

PERTH, Australia – Australia’s Therapeutic Good Administration (TGA) has unveiled its final regulatory requirements for personalized medical devices, including 3D-printed devices, that go into effect on Feb. 25, 2021. Under the previous framework, custom-made medical devices were exempt from the requirement to be included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).