The second day’s meeting of the U.S. CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) took up guidelines related to COVID-19 vaccines, of which an outspoken skeptic is Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy – who in June fired all 17 members of ACIP and replaced them with names more to his liking.

Medtronic plc received U.S. FDA approval for Altaviva, a minimally invasive implantable tibial neuromodulation device designed to treat urge urinary incontinence. Insertion near the ankle requires neither sedation nor imaging and patients walk out the clinic door with the device already activated.

Organox Ltd.’s normothermic machine perfusion device, Metra, has been cleared by the U.S. FDA for use during air transport. The greenlight from the regulatory body paves the way for the broader use of donor organs that might otherwise be discarded, as the Metra system circulates oxygen and nutrient rich perfusate through the organ at near-body temperature, extending preservation times.

A committee of the House of Representatives advanced a bill that if passed will give eligible breakthrough medical devices four years of Medicare coverage.

As is the case with the Made in China 2025 initiative, the Make in India program has at least a decade of history to look back on, with some benefits accruing to the nation’s med-tech sector. All the same, Gunjan Bagla, CEO of Los Angeles-based Amritt Inc., told BioWorld that the initiative could be more successful if the legislature would tweak the laws to create a more helpful environment for industry.

Roche Holdings AG received CE mark approval for the integration of its AI-enabled continuous glucose monitoring system, Accu-Chek Smartguide, with the Mysugr diabetes management app. The integrated solution, which combines predictive CGM technology with therapy data in one place, will simplify the daily decision-making for users managing their diabetes.

China’s National Medical Products Administration is arguably more active than regulatory agencies in many nations in advancing guidance for AI in medical technology, but Chang-Hong Whitney, President/CEO of Whitney Consulting Ltd., told BioWorld that the premarket review process still carries some unpredictability.

The Sept. 17 U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on the CDC is throwing even more shade on the upcoming meeting of the agency’s reconstituted Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), which is expected to recommend changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.

Biocartis Group NV received premarket approval from the U.S. FDA for its Idylla Cdx MSI test, developed in partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb Co., to help in the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer. The cartridge-based, fully automated, sample-to-result test enables faster identification of patients with the disease who may benefit from therapeutic treatment.