PERTH, Australia – As the state of Victoria in Australia records its deadliest day since the COVID-19 pandemic began, reporting 17 deaths and 394 new cases, Atomo Diagnostics Ltd.’s new COVID-19 antibody test could ease pressure on health care systems.

The annual publication of the draft Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) is an event, but this year’s draft has drawn substantial criticism from across the board, despite the promise of more coverage of telehealth. The Medical Imaging & Technology Association (MITA) and a coalition of surgeons have blasted the draft as a hazard to patient access to both evaluation and management (E/M) services and surgical procedures, both of which present substantial headwinds for the medical device industry.

The U.S. FDA revealed good news for Guardant Health Inc. Specifically, the agency has given a thumbs up for Guardant360 CDx for tumor mutation profiling, also known as comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP), in patients with any solid malignant neoplasm. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company noted that this marked the first approval to combine next-generation sequencing (NGS) and liquid biopsy in one diagnostic test to guide treatment decisions. The assay previously was granted a breakthrough device designation.

HONG KONG – A Chinese med-tech company plans to take to market what it claims is the first electrocardiography (ECG) diagnostic machine powered by AI, but as it moves to markets beyond China, it could face significant competition.

People with diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy (DR), an eye condition that can cause vision loss and blindness. However, early detection and treatment can slow its progress. To that end, the Food and Drug Administration has cleared the way for Eyenuk Inc. to market its Eyeart autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) system for DR screening in the U.S.