The Trump administration has proposed a policy to gradually reopen the U.S. for business, part of which is to allow a resumption of elective procedures and treatments in outpatient settings. While patients with urgent medical needs presumably are being treated already, the policy would seem to promise a boost in volumes for certain devices, such as coronary artery stents, knee implants and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices, all of which enjoy at least limited Medicare coverage for outpatient use.

In a decision that seems to have yet again roiled the patent subject matter eligibility question, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit determined that a district court had erred in determining the 7,941,207 patent held by Cardionet LLC, of Conshohocken, Pa., is not eligible for patent protection.

The largest study to date on hypermutated gliomas has delivered new insights into their origin, as well as their response to several different treatments. Specifically, even though they are hypermutated, such tumors are unlikely to respond to PD-1 blockers.

Robotic-assisted surgical procedures have fallen off steeply as the ongoing global pandemic has unfolded, but the real impact on Intuitive Surgical Inc. will come as its hospital customers may have to limit orders for expensive equipment upgrades as they struggle to manage unprecedented financial burdens. The U.S. accounts for about 70% of its robotic surgery procedures, but by the last few weeks in March, that activity had been curtailed by roughly two-thirds.

A recent Senate hearing raised the question of whether privacy and confidentiality are at risk when software is installed in smart devices for disease surveillance purposes, but there may be no absolute guarantee of confidentiality, jeopardizing the goodwill of citizens who are wary of big government.

Despite challenges associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Abbott Laboratories saw its first-quarter revenue beating expectations, coming in at $7.73 billion vs. an expected $7.44 billion. Cowen’s Josh Jennings highlighted this result, adding in a note that while there are challenges for nondiabetes medical devices and core diagnostics, areas including diabetes, nutrition, the established pharmaceuticals division and COVID-19 testing shined.

Public drug and device companies may want to think twice before eagerly jumping on the COVID-19 bandwagon with announcements overselling their efforts to develop or repurpose products to treat patients infected with the coronavirus.

LONDON - The director general of the World Health Organization has given a dignified and measured response to President Donald Trump’s decision to halt U.S. funding of WHO, pending a review of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

As state and federal authorities deliberate over how to safely reopen U.S. society during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, tools that effectively monitor body temperature at a population level could help to get the ball rolling. To that end, software development firm Altoros Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., has released the Fever Screener, a fully automated, enterprise-grade system for setting up temperature scanning checkpoints. Fever Screener can scan up to 30 people simultaneously at a distance of 3 meters, or nearly 10 feet, with a temperature accuracy of roughly 0.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Installed in entryways, checkpoints or other crowded venues, it can provide mass screenings, as well as recurrent temperature monitoring for potentially infected individuals.

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) managed to beat analyst earnings estimates due to unexpectedly strong first-quarter results in its consumer health and pharmaceutical businesses. But while those saw revenues climb in the double digits, its medical devices business declined by almost 5% due to deferred procedures. Wall Street rewarded the New Brunswick, N.J.-based company by driving its shares (NYSE:JNJ) up more than 5%. That’s even though the company also lowered its 2020 guidance.