A new oral HER2-directed breast cancer therapy from Bayer AG, and its companion diagnostic from Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., have been approved by the U.S. FDA. Hyrnuo (sevabertinib), a reversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was greenlit by the agency for adults with locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous advanced HER2-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer.

Abbott Laboratories made plans to enter the cancer screening market with its reported acquisition of Exact Sciences Corp. The deal will pay Exact Sciences shareholders $105 per share in cash, a nearly 50% premium to Exact’s unaffected share price on Nov. 19. That represents a total equity value of approximately $21 billion and an estimated enterprise value of $23 billion.

Solventum Corp. continued its restructuring with a second significant acquisition this year, the proposed purchase of privately held Acera Surgical Inc. for $725 million in cash plus up to $125 in contingent cash payments based on achievement of specified milestones. St. Louis.-based Acera projected that its synthetic wound care products will bring in $90 million in sales this year.

The resolution of the budget impasse between Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill sidestepped a number of problems, including some cuts to Medicare payment rates for clinical laboratory testing services. However, that pause is only in effect through the end of January 2026, leaving operators of these labs with a fiscal sword of Damocles to manage.

Dexcom Inc. received U.S. FDA clearance for its Smart Basal CGM-integrated basal insulin dosing optimizer. Designed for adults with type 2 diabetes using glargine U-100 long-acting insulin therapy, Smart Basal uses data from Dexcom’s G7 15 Day sensor with doses logged by the user to personalize recommendations and adjust long-acting insulin doses, with direction from the patient’s health care provider.

The recent strategic partnership Siemens Healthineers AG recently entered into with Boston Scientific Corp. to develop and commercialize an Acunav 4D intracardiac echocardiography catheter could drive “significant growth” for the company, Jochen Schmitz, CFO, at Siemens, told delegates at the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, in London.

U.S. and European organ-on-a-chip specialty biotechnology companies are driving development of organ-on-a-chip technologies, fueled by the U.S. FDA’s decision to phase out animal testing for investigational new drugs.

A jury has returned a verdict of infringement against Apple Inc., as part of a series of patent disputes with Masimo Corp., producing a damages award of $634 million which is seen in some quarters as an indicator that Masimo has the momentum against Apple.

Medtronic plc posted solid fiscal year second-quarter results led by the cardiovascular business with 9.3% growth. The Affera Sphere-9 pulsed field ablation system tripled the company’s sales in the hot PFA segment and pushed the cardiac ablation solutions unit to 71% growth, a nice uptick from the nearly 50% seen in its Q1.

Aesculap Implant Systems LLC has seen its share of bad news recently, but the company seems to have cleared the legal deck with an agreement to pay $38.5 million per a Nov. 17 announcement by the U.S. attorney’s office for the district of Eastern Pennsylvania.