The European Council formally approved another delay for the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation implementation, which now gives developers of existing high-risk in vitro diagnostics until December 2027 to obtain a renewed CE mark.

The EU has given the go ahead for a large-scale transnational project that will invest €6.9 billion (US$7.45 billion) to address unmet medical need and fill gaps across the pharmaceutical value chain.

China’s Medilink Therapeutics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. and Germany’s Biontech SE signed another potential $1 billion-plus deal for novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targets, building off the first ADC-based licensing deal from last year.

The European Association for Medical Devices of Notified Bodies has issued its survey of member NBs for 2023, which includes data that suggest a diminishing appetite for inspections under the Medical Device Single Audit Program. However, the more concerning metric is that the gap between applications for new or renewed medical devices and the number of completed applications continues to widen, a gap that stood at nearly 10,000 such applications at the end of calendar year 2023.

Gaining full rights to a bispecific antibody to treat atopic dermatitis, Johnson & Johnson is paying $1.25 billion to acquire Yellow Jersey Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Numab Therapeutics AG. The subsidiary houses all assets related to NM-26, which targets IL-4Ra (type I and II receptors) and IL-31, and was designed with Numab’s MATCH (Multispecific Antibody-based Therapeutics by Cognate Heterodimerization) technology platform. It is ready for phase II development for atopic dermatitis, although J&J intends to develop, manufacture and commercialize the drug globally for follow-on indications as well.

South Korea’s Celltrion Inc. secured May 22 the European Commission’s go-ahead for Omlyclo (CT-P39) to be the first biosimilar to Genentech Inc./Novartis AG’s Xolair (omalizumab) in Europe for three of its major indications.

News out of the Heart Rhythm Society 2024 meeting May 16-19 highlighted the rapid disruption pulsed field ablation (PFA) devices have wrought in cardiac arrhythmia treatment, so it is little surprise to see that PFAs are among the top five technologies with transformative potential identified by Clarivate plc in its Medical Technologies to Watch in 2024 report. The impact of the other four – continuous glucose monitors (CGM) for diabetes, neurostimulation devices, surgical robotics and renal denervation – has been just as revolutionary, if longer in being realized.

Japanese industrial conglomerate Asahi Kasei Corp. has made an offer to acquire Swedish rare diseases specialist Calliditas Therapeutics AB for SEK11.8 billion (US$1.1 billion). The offer, at an 83% premium to the closing share price of SEK113.60 on Monday, May 27, is recommended by the three biggest shareholders and the board of Calliditas, which said the company would benefit from “being part of a larger platform.”

Vyaire Medical Inc., of Mettawa, Ill., reported a class I recall of its Twin Tubes devices, which are used in the collection of air samples during cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The recall was prompted by the risk that the device nozzle will separate during patient use and potentially result in choking, although the FDA said there have been no reports of adverse events in connection with the problem.

Researchers affiliated with the U.K.’s University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust filed for protection of a device for treating simple or complex anal or rectovaginal fistulas which is less invasive and more effective than existing treatments. The device combines a bioresorbable scaffold to heal the fistula and a thin comfortable seton to achieve drainage.