Medicare coverage of digital mental health therapies has traditionally been lacking, but the final Medicare physician fee schedule for 2025 added three new codes to deal with the coverage gap.

While the inpatient and outpatient final rules for 2025 are baked into the U.S. Medicare payment system, there are indications that Congress will consider legislation that would flatten rates across sites of service.

Boston Scientific Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cortex Inc., from Ajax Health Inc. to develop an integrated mapping and ablation solution for cardiac arrhythmias. Cortex’s Optimap system employs a basket catheter and algorithm to identify active sources for atrial fibrillation beyond the pulmonary veins on which most mapping and ablation technology currently focus.

The U.S. FDA reported a class I recall of tracheostomy tube kits by Minneapolis-based Smiths Medical Inc., because of the risk of separation of the tube’s pilot balloon and inflation line.

The U.S. Medicare outpatient final rule affirms several new devices for the new technology pass-through program, but one of the more significant findings is that CMS will use separate payment mechanisms for two renal nerve denervation devices, following the blueprint the agency employed for this question in the inpatient final rule.

Shares of Essa Pharma Inc. tanked Nov. 1 after the company said it is terminating all trials of masofaniten, its N-terminal domain androgen receptor inhibitor and sole clinical-stage program, following a disappointing readout from a phase II study in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The stock (NASDAQ:EPIX) hit a 52-week low, closing at $1.40, down $3.80, or 73%.

The nearer-looming threat of a biosimilar from Amgen Inc. to heavyweight Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s age-related macular degeneration (AMD) VEGF therapy, Eylea (aflibercept), along with other issues, pressured shares of the latter (NASDAQ:REGN) since reporting third-quarter earnings Oct 31. But Wall Street pundits are not altogether aligned on how serious the scenario might be. After the earnings update, Regeneron’s stock fell 12%, from $925 to $819.96, and closed Nov. 1 at $843.60, up $5.40.

The drug and device industries have a lot hinging on the results of the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential and congressional elections. Tax policies. The reach of the FTC. Legislation aimed at drug prices, competition, pharmacy benefit managers and lab-developed tests. Cabinet and agency appointments that could reshape Medicare drug negotiations, the 340B program, FDA Orange Book device patent listings, regulatory flexibility and Bayh-Dole march-ins. And that’s just the top of the list.

Two recent trials in cardiovascular disease took critical steps toward addressing ongoing and deadly disparities in cardiac care by focusing entirely on women.