When it comes to whether Medicare Part D should cover the new anti-obesity drugs, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and lawmakers may be caught between the math and public pressure.

The U.S. FDA posted notice of a medical device correction of Abiomed Inc.'s Impella series of left-side blood pumps because of the risk of perforation of the left ventricle during device placement. The FDA noted that it has received 129 reports of serious injury and 49 reports of fatalities associated with these devices, but did not indicate whether device malfunction was the source of these adverse events. Abiomed advises customers that the device should be implanted “with special care” in patients during active cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and to review some updated warnings in the product’s instruction for use statement.

Stimlabs LLC received U.S. FDA approval for Corplex P, a wound care product that uses placental tissue to facilitate wound healing. “Corplex P is the first particulate device derived from human umbilical cord extracellular matrix indicated for the management of acute and chronic wounds,” Stimlabs CEO John Daniel told BioWorld.

The U.S. FDA has approved Duvyzat (givinostat), from Italfarmaco SpA, for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). It is the first oral, nonsteroidal drug for treating all of DMD’s genetic variants. The oral treatment is approved for those ages 6 and older.

A metabolite that suppresses appetite and food intake after exercise could be the reason for the weight loss observed in patients treated with metformin to control blood glucose. A study conducted by a group of scientists at Stanford University showed how this antidiabetic drug induced the biosynthesis of N-lactoyl-phenylalanine (Lac-Phe), which has an effect reducing the body mass index.

Triarm Therapeutics Ltd. is on a mission to democratize CAR T therapies to make them more accessible and affordable, Triarm CEO Jay Zhang told BioWorld. “Nearly half of the patients eligible for CAR T therapies still cannot get treated, and the main reason is the expense, and the second is they cannot afford to wait.

The latest filing from Orlando-based Noble International Inc.—an Aptar Pharma company—hints at the development of a new category of medical devices. Best known for its medical device training solutions and patient onboarding strategies, Noble filed for protection of a compression sleeve for monitoring and treating rheumatic disorders.

The U.S. FDA’s pending final rule for regulation of lab-developed tests has proven unusually controversial even for the FDA, but Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) stated in a March 21 hearing that congressional inaction has left the agency in an uncomfortable spot.

An advocate general (AG) for the E.U. Court of Justice did not mince words in calling out the European Commission for its “very significant extension of the scope of the Merger Regulation and of the commission’s jurisdiction” in reviewing Illumina Inc.’s $7.1 billion acquisition of Grail LLC.