Tempe, Ariz.-based Gt Medical Technologies Inc. has won the U.S. FDA’s nod for an expanded indication for Gammatile therapy. With this decision, patients with newly diagnosed malignant brain tumors now are eligible to receive the FDA-cleared surgically targeted radiation therapy. Gammatile therapy offers an option vs. waiting several weeks for surgical wound healing before beginning treatment. Previously, the therapy was available for individuals with recurrent brain tumors.

The 2.3% tax on medical devices is a thing of the past. Now, Mark Leahey, president and CEO of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA), has revealed to BioWorld that the supporters of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) saw the tax as little more than “a spreadsheet exercise” in financing the more costly elements of the legislation.

Abbott Laboratories had a winning week, scoring U.S. FDA approval of its Infinity directional deep brain stimulation (DBS) system in treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease not adequately managed by medication. The company also reported new data underscoring the benefits of its Proclaim XR neuromodulation system in people living with chronic pain.

PERTH, Australia – Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is seeking input from industry stakeholders on a proposal to increase its fees to cover projected deficits this year. The proposal outlines three options.

Whether large or small, or based in the U.S. or abroad, life sciences companies are an increasingly attractive target for shareholder suits. The number of securities fraud class action suits filed in the U.S. in 2019 across all industries totaled 404, just one more than the 403 cases filed in 2018 and down from the peak of 412 in 2017, according to a new Dechert LLP report.

Ra Medical Systems Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., reported that the U.S. FDA has granted investigational device exemption (IDE) approval to study its DABRA excimer laser system as an atherectomy device to treat peripheral vascular stenosis.

Dublin-based Medtronic plc has snagged the U.S. FDA’s approval for its Micra AV, the world’s smallest pacemaker with atrioventricular (AV) synchrony. The company said it will begin rolling out the device at a limited number of medical centers in the upcoming weeks, with a full, nationwide launch sometime this spring. About the size of a large vitamin pill, the leadless Micra AV is indicated for the treatment of patients with AV block, a disorder that occurs when the electrical signal traveling from the atria, or upper chambers of the heart, to the ventricles, or lower chambers, is impaired.