Bob Califf, commissioner of the U.S. FDA, has been laser-focused on misinformation recently, and the agency reissued a 2014 draft guidance that describes an enforcement policy about third-party communications about a drug or device. The draft appears to sidestep at least one major problem with the 2014 edition, but seems to suggest that manufacturers should consider addressing misinformation about an entire class of products.
The pilot version of the U.S. FDA’s advisory program for breakthrough medical device life cycle management was initially limited to cardiovascular devices, but the agency has announced an expansion into other product areas. Going forward, orthopedic, radiological and ophthalmic devices will be eligible for the FDA’s Total Life Cycle Advisory Program, which will aid applicants in obtaining both faster and more trouble-free market access.
Serac Imaging Systems Ltd. is seeing encouraging results from ongoing trials at three sites, which are comparing its Seracam portable hybrid gamma-optical camera for medical imaging to standard of care nuclear medicine imaging, Mark Rosser, CEO of the company, told BioWorld.
The years’ long effort by activist investor Politan Capital Management LP to take control of the Masimo Corp. board of directors and oust Masimo CEO and founder Joe Kiani took a turn for the weird this week as news emerged that Masimo Chief Operating Officer Bilal Muhsin notified the board that he would step down if Kiani were pushed out.
Confidence in working with Chinese biopharma companies has dropped by 30% to 50% for U.S.-based life sciences companies, with Chinese contract development and manufacturing organizations the hardest hit, according to a recent LEK survey of global life sciences companies on the impact of the pending U.S. Biosecure Act.
The problems with U.S. Medicare coverage for medical software are well known, but the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recently indicated that these problems are largely manageable for services delivered via managed care plans.
The U.S. FDA granted Signum Surgical Ltd. de novo marketing clearance for its Biohealx technology as a treatment for anal fistula. Biohealx is a single use, bioabsorbable implant, designed to not only to treat the condition in a minimally invasive procedure but also promote healing, prevent fistula recurrence and protect patient continence.
Radiopharm Theranostics Ltd. announced a AU$70 million (US$46.69 million) institutional placement, and as part of that capital raise, radiopharma company Lantheus Holdings, Inc., has agreed to make an initial equity investment of AU$7.5 million.
The U.S. FDA posted notice of a recall of the system monitor for the Heartmate left ventricular assist device by Abbott Laboratories, an action necessitated by reports of a series of malfunctions that may lead to inadvertent operator error.
After snaring the U.S. FDA’s approval for the Evoque tricuspid valve device, Edwards Lifesciences Corp. petitioned the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for a national coverage determination for transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement devices.