The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported a request for information for a modernized digital health ecosystem that would presumably improve beneficiary access to digital health technologies.

Companies new to the world of U.S. FDA regulation are often unaware of how detailed the agency’s inspections are, which might be the case with the October-November 2024 inspection of Noah Medical Inc.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy made his first appearance May 14 before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee since his January confirmation hearing. Chaos, testy arguments, accusations and surprising agreements ensued.

April may not have brought rain to med-tech, but tariffs and financial uncertainty certainly dampened the enthusiasm for IPOs. With those clouds lifting, three companies – Hinge Health Inc., Capsovision Inc., and Omada Health Inc. – appear ready to flower in May, potentially a harbinger of a return to the brisk pace for med-tech IPOs seen in the opening weeks of 2025 when eight companies raised nearly $1 billion.

The U.S. FDA’s April 4, 2025, warning letter to ICU Medical Inc. cited the company for failure to file a new 510(k) for changes to software used in an infusion pump, but those changes may have been driven by problems with the pumps the company acquired when it picked up Smiths Medical in 2022. The FDA also issued a warning letter to Epicare Acquisitions LLC related to its Zenith family of laser hair removal systems.

Noridian Healthcare Solutions opened a draft local coverage determination for gene tests for heritable thoracic aortic disease per a request from Invitae Corp., of San Francisco, which makes a comprehensive panel test for aortopathy.

As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its agencies begin weeding out old regulations, the department is requesting public input to help identify and eliminate outdated or unnecessary regulations.

The long-term status of the trade dispute with China remains unclear, but a 90-day reduction in stratospheric tariffs imposed by the U.S. and China on their respective products provides breathing room for the med-tech companies predicting the hardest hit from the original levels.

Device makers may find it difficult to avoid running afoul of the Anti-Kickback Statute, but a recent case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit suggests that the statutory definition of a referral is not set in stone.

Despite the uncertain macro environment created by the threat of reciprocal tariffs on goods into the U.S., some investors are still upbeat about the med tech sector. Even with changes at the HHS and disruption to product approvals throughout the FDA, venture capital investors remain cautiously optimistic.