PARIS – Two months after successfully listing on Euronext Brussels and Euronext Amsterdam stock exchanges, raising nearly $100 million, Onward Medical NV reported completion of enrollment in its Up-LIFT study on its noninvasive electrical spinal cord stimulation, called Arc therapy.
It is acknowledged that the huge bias toward individuals of European ancestry means studies of the contribution of genetics to disease may not translate well to other ethnicities. That point is underlined in the first large-scale investigation of the population structure and demographic history of British Pakistanis, which shows an increased number and length of regions of homozygosity inherited from a common ancestor, and greatly elevated identity by descent, compared to the population at large.
PARIS – Bellaseno GmbH reported publication of first-in-human data for its 3D-printed biodegradable and highly porous Senella scaffold filled with autologous fat graft to correct a chest deformation in a 22-year-old patient with severe pectus excavatum. The article was published in the European Journal of Plastic Surgery.
An international study led by scientists at the University of Exeter in the U.K. suggests how to combine antibiotic and bacteriophage therapy optimally, in order to reduce antibiotic use and potentially prevent multidrug resistance in bacteria.
The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has unveiled two guidances for the use of real-world evidence (RWE) in regulatory decision-making. The policy seems limited to pharmaceutical clinical trials, with no indication when it will be expanded to include medical technology.
The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the roll-out of European Union’s new med-tech regulations has sparked concerns about in vitro diagnostic availability, but relief from compliance deadlines has now been achieved. The European Parliament and the European Council have agreed to ease the compliance dates of the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR).
Bond Digital Health Ltd. landed £1 million (US$1.3 million) from investors to expand development of its Transform data management system for lateral flow diagnostic tests. The technology connects to an app that captures data from lateral flow assays in self-testing settings. The results are then shared to a dashboard that can be monitored by the platform admin. The new investment included equity funding from the Development Bank of Wales and high-net-worth investment service Wealth Club. In addition to the current round, Bond is aiming to raise a further £500,000 by January.
The U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will welcome a new chief executive in February. Samantha Roberts was named to succeed Gillian Leng, who is retiring after 20 years at the agency. With extensive experience in health care delivery and as a clinician, Roberts currently serves as managing director for health and care at NHS England.
The European Council reached an agreement Dec. 20 that will allow the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority to respond much more quickly to public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic by activating urgent and targeted medical countermeasures (MCMs) across the EU.
Vicentra BV has closed a $74 million series C financing round to accelerate the European rollout of its wearable insulin patch. The small, lightweight system Kaleido is the company’s flagship product and consists of two pumps controlled by a Bluetooth wireless connected handset. The small size rests on a pumping action that – unlike a conventional syringe mechanism – uses micro-pulse technology to deliver accurate and consistent doses of insulin.