The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is still considering a drastic overhaul of the 2002 medical device regulatory framework, but may have sent a signal that its new framework won’t deviate too far from established regulatory approaches. The agency reported June 16 that it has signed on with both the International Council for Harmonization (ICH) for drugs and the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) for devices, providing members of both industries with at least some modest confidence that access to the 67 million strong U.K. market won’t suffer from a new set of unique regulatory hurdles.

Quoted European tech investor Gimv is setting up an independent life sciences arm and said it will increase both the size of its investments and the number of companies it backs.

The European Commission and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently signed an arrangement to strengthen their cooperation on preparedness and response to public health threats.

Mittelstand Santé, a new Franco-German health-tech alliance, has just published its first compilation of feedback from executives of French and German health care companies relating to the COVID pandemic. The French contingent is developing proposals aimed at strengthening the resilience of European health care manufacturing.

Stratipath AB gained CE-IVD mark for its artificial intelligence (AI)-based software for prognostic risk stratification of breast cancers, clearing the path for introduction of the solution in the EU. Stratipath Breast analyzes digital histopathology whole slide images generated from surgically resected breast cancer tissue to identify patients with increased risk of disease progression. The system provides clearer guidance on the best treatment path for the 50% of women whose breast cancer is categorized as intermediate risk.

Penumbra Inc. presented new data at the LINC Symposium in Leipzig, Germany, evaluating its Indigo aspiration system for submassive pulmonary embolism (PE). The subgroup analysis evaluated performance outcomes of patients with main pulmonary artery (PA) emboli vs. discrete unilateral or bilateral PA emboli without main PA involvement. Data from the study suggests the system can be used effectively for both proximal and distal aspiration thrombectomy in the pulmonary arteries.

Grail LLC reported a new study with the U.K.’s NHS to assess the clinical utility of its Galleri multi-cancer early detection test (MCED) for reducing late-stage cancer diagnoses. Menlo Park, Calif.-headquartered Grail presented the study design during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago. The randomized controlled trial will enroll 140,000 asymptomatic participants aged 50-77 living across England to determine if Galleri can find cancers at an early stage when they are less advanced.

Two studies published back to back in Nature have looked at the accumulation of mutations in blood-forming stem cells with age, gaining new insights into how the overall landscape of such cells changes across the lifespan. 

Healiva SA, a Swiss wound care specialist, emerged from stealth mode having acquired two cell therapy assets from Smith & Nephew plc. Financial terms were not disclosed, but they included an up-front payment as well as “deferred benefits,” Healiva CEO and founder Priyanka Dutta-Passecker told BioWorld. The deal means that the Lugano-based company – which was formed in 2020 – could be booking revenues as early as 2023.

Vitestro BV is preparing for pivotal clinical studies of its automated phlebotomy device after unveiling the prototype to clinicians in the Netherlands.