Big pharma sponsors of clinical trials in Ukraine are putting studies on hold in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus as the conflict continues into its third week. As revealed by BioWorld last week, hundreds of clinical trials were being conducted in the two countries at the time Russian President Vladimir Putin gave orders to invade Ukraine on Feb. 20.

Norwegian diagnostics company Cardinor AS landed a CE mark for its Secretoneurin (SN) ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). The blood-based test detects SN, a small 33-amino acid neuropeptide produced by neuroendocrine and heart muscle cells. Studies have shown the biomarker is a predictor of mortality in major patient cohorts, including ventricular arrhythmia, acute heart failure, acute respiratory failure patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and severe sepsis.

The C-suite at Dexcom Inc. is breathing easy with the company having snagged CE marking for its latest continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, the G7, less than two weeks after receiving FDA breakthrough device designation for its CGM for hospital use. “This all-new platform offers an incredibly powerful CGM that is simple to use, providing our users with insightful glucose data on one screen that helps them spend less time managing diabetes and more time doing the things they love. Dexcom G7 takes everything people love about G6 and makes it even better,” said Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer.

Russia and Belarus are being frozen out of international science, with universities and research institutions across Europe suspending joint research projects and calling a halt to the formation of any new collaborations, following the invasion of Ukraine. Initial sanctions announced by European governments called for the severing of direct institution-to-institution links only, with many universities counseling individual researchers to maintain personal relations with Russian peers.

Sense Biodetection Ltd. is preparing to launch a new rapid, disposable, point-of-care molecular diagnostic test for COVID-19 in Europe after securing CE marking for the platform. The company will make its Veros COVID-19 test available in Ireland, Benelux and Nordic countries this quarter before expanding to other European markets.

As the conflict in Ukraine intensifies following the Russian invasion, hundreds of clinical trials could be in jeopardy amid the chaos and destruction of war, with pharma giant Merck & Co. Inc. saying it is putting recruitment for dozens of studies on hold.

Though the Ukraine war has had an impact on the availability of medical devices and diagnostics, a number of companies based in the U.S. and Europe have announced measures to ensure their products will reach the war-torn nation. Device companies are donating millions to nongovernmental organizations for humanitarian assistance, while the Advanced Medical Technology Association (Advamed) said its member companies are tracking the situation and are eager to pitch in with desperately needed supplies and medical equipment.

Experts at the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center (PARCC) have designed an artificial intelligence-based system to predict kidney allograft survival. This model was validated in an observational multicohort study in Europe, the U.S. and South America, as well as randomized trials and results were published in The Lancet Digital Health.

As conflict escalates and medical supplies dwindle, Ukrainians are urging the international health care community to send medical equipment and medication. In a webinar, a panel of speakers discussed which medical supplies are desperately needed to address the growing humanitarian crisis. Anna Levchuk, vice president of market access, commercialization and health care at Clarivate and a member of the supervisory board for Medical Procurement of Ukraine, moderated the panel.