The U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence announced an increase in the cost effectiveness thresholds for its health technology assessment program, but this new threshold falls far short of where the figure should be when adjusting for inflation.

Proving its latest addition to the Farapulse pulsed field ablation (PFA) platform is no turkey, Boston Scientific Corp.'s Farapoint PFA catheter received CE mark as the U.S. celebrated Thanksgiving. Farapoint is indicated for ablation of the cavotricuspid isthmus, specifically to treat right atrial flutter.

The European Investment Bank and Angelini Ventures have partnered to invest €150 million (US$174 million) in health care companies across Europe. The funding will target seven to 10 companies in biotech, med-tech and digital health in an effort to boost financing in the European health care ecosystem and support the development of innovative solutions across the continent.

Edwards Lifesciences Corp. released data from a health economics study done across nine countries in Europe which showed that early transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis can deliver significant economic benefits alongside improved clinical outcomes.

Novo Nordisk A/S’ wild card bet that its GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide could be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease has not paid off, with the company reporting two phase III trials have shown no effect on slowing disease progression.

CMR Surgical Ltd. hopes to soon gain U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for its Versius Plus surgical robotic system to bring it to the U.S. market amid rising demand for robotic surgery. Although the company’s original Versius system received FDA clearance in 2024 for use in cholecystectomy in adults, CMR waited to bring the enhanced Versius Plus model to market instead. “I have such a respect for the U.S. market that the last thing that I would do is to enter a market with a product that is outdated,” Massimiliano Colella, CMR CEO told BioWorld.

Recent progress in redressing the historical underfunding and neglect of women’s health could be undermined by the backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to executives participating in the FT Global Pharma and Biotech Summit 2025 in London Nov. 11-12.

The Scottish government has published a strategy setting out a roadmap to more than double the size of Scotland’s life sciences sector over the next 10 years. The most recent data show the sector currently contributes £10.5 billion (US$13.8 billion) in turnover to the economy, supporting 46,000 jobs. The aim of the strategy is to increase this to £25 billion by 2035.

Overture Life SLU secured CE mark certification for its Davitri system that automates the vitrification and thawing of oocytes and embryos, making the processes more efficient, consistent and cost-efficient. Davitri has the potential to transform IVF, giving women and families more control over their fertility timelines and ensuring every egg and embryo has the best possible chance of survival.

The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is calling for unified standards to harmonize microbiome research, after revealing major inconsistencies in the results when labs around the world analyzed identical reference samples of gut bacteria.