The first international consensus framework for the use of continuous ketone monitoring in people with diabetes, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, calls development and use of ketone sensors for the prevention of diabetic ketoacidosis “transformational.” Several companies in the diabetes technology market have recently reported that they are developing dual glucose-ketone sensors, though none have gained U.S. FDA approval yet.

As the systematic dismantling of the U.S. vaccine schedule escalates, the demands to hold Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy accountable are growing. Claiming that Kennedy has turned his back on science and is endangering public health, Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., formally introduced articles of impeachment against him Dec. 10 for “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Under the Constitution, federal officials can only be impeached for treason, bribery and “other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

Management is beaming with delight at Heartbeam Inc. as the company's appeal strategy paid off with U.S. FDA clearance for its synthetic 12-lead electrocardiogram software for the assessment of arrhythmias. In November, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company received a Not Substantially Equivalent determination from the agency on its 510(k) application, which could have substantially delayed commercialization. Following a plan disclosed Nov. 28, the company resolved the agency's issues through an appeal process and active engagement and obtained clearance much more quickly than expected.

Alcon AG reported on Dec. 9 that it had sweetened its offer for intraocular lens maker Staar Surgical Co., raising its offer by roughly 10% to $30.75 a share from its prior bid of $28 a share. The revised offer comes on the heels of the expiration of Staar’s go-shop period on Dec. 8, in which Lake Forest, Calif.-based Staar said no superior offers were received.

Almost a year since first filing its S-1 to return to public markets, Medline Inc. revealed the price range for the most awaited IPO of 2025. The massive medical device development and distribution company plans to offer 179 million shares at $26 to $30 per share, putting the total deal value at $5.37 billion at the upper end. At the top of the range, the IPO would rake in the superlatives: largest IPO of 2025, largest med-tech IPO ever and the largest venture capital exit in med tech. The offering range would value the company at up to $55 billion.

Teleflex Inc. reported plans to sell its Acute Care, Interventional Urology and OEM businesses to two buyers for $2.03 billion. Intersurgical Ltd. will acquire the Acute Care and Interventional Urology units for $530 million. Additionally, private equity firms Montagu and Kohlberg are buying its OEM contract manufacturing business for $1.5 billion.

People with drug-resistant epilepsy have had few other options, but Neuropace Inc. appears on target to provide an alternative. The Nautilus trial of its responsive neurostimulation system for individuals with drug-resistant idiopathic generalized epilepsy showed a 77% reduction in generalized tonic-clonic seizures sustained over 18 months.

The U.S. FDA’s clearance of Medtronic plc’s Hugo robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system is certainly a boon for the company which is betting on the unit to be a key growth driver. While the soft tissue robotics market is dominated by Intuitive Surgical Inc.’s da Vinci system, the space is growing, and Medtronic has the scale, resources and market presence to make headway but there are also a plethora of smaller, versatile and cost-effective systems looking for a piece of the pie.

A U.S. FDA advisory panel voted unanimously against approving Johnson & Johnson’s V-Wave Ventura shunt for heart failure patients not helped by medications. The circulatory panel voted emphatically 15-0 against use of the shunt for heart failure patients not helped by medications based on effectiveness and its benefit-risk profile. On the question of safety, the panelists did vote 9-6 in favor of the device.

The U.S. FDA’s remote regulatory assessment (RRA) program, the subject of a guidance the agency finalized in June 2025, is proving to be one of the trickier bits of navigation for makers of devices, drugs and biologics. RRAs were on tap at the 2025 enforcement conference held by the Food and Drug Law Institute, but the session seemed to suggest that industry may not be fully prepared for how the agency will conduct these reviews, but also what it will do with the results.