The Chinese government blacklisted several American companies, including gene sequencing-focused biotechnology firm Illumina Inc. and fashion brand PVH Corp., citing threats to China’s “national sovereignty, security and development interests.”

U.S. federal law is still lacking where AI is concerned, but California’s attorney general issued a bulletin that elevates the legal hazards of AI in medical use. The bulletin says that AI tools may not supplant a physician’s decision-making, a provision that would seem to render some FDA-cleared products illegal there.

Whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK) advances in his quest to become the top health care voice in the Trump administration could come down to one vote – that of Sen. Bill Cassidy. The Louisiana doctor is one of 14 Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee, which is scheduled to vote Feb. 4 on whether to send Kennedy’s nomination as Health and Human Services secretary to the full Senate for confirmation. If all 13 Democrats on the committee vote against it, one no vote from a Republican could stop the process.

Essilorluxottica SA received U.S. FDA clearance for its over-the-counter Nuance Audio Glasses, which combines sight and sound technologies, to help people improve their vision and hearing. The device also received a CE mark certification under the Medical Devices Regulation from the EU authorities.

The EU’s Medical Device Coordination Group issued a guidance on the types of products that qualify as in vitro diagnostics (IVDs), including some important distinctions even in instances in which a given analyte is the subject of two tests.

Harmonized regulations for laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) across Asia Pacific are sorely needed at a time when LDTs continue to play a critical role in addressing unmet needs in the region, according to a recent whitepaper developed by APACMed.

A new guidance by the International Medical Device Regulators Forum for good machine learning practices draws heavily on a 2021 playbook provided by Canada, the U.K. and the U.S., an outcome that also supports the notion that there is no point in reinventing a highly functional regulatory wheel.

Continuing a cascade of positive news for Stereotaxis Inc., the company reported the first order for its petite Genesisx robot in Europe. The system received CE mark in August, but management held off its launch until its Magic radiofrequency ablation catheter also received CE mark, which happened on Jan. 27. The two devices are used together to treat cardiac arrhythmias.

The EU has moved aggressively on legislation in recent years, with the AI Liability Directive serving as the latest example of legislation that sparked widespread opposition.

Eyebright Medical Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd. is expanding its position in China’s phakic intraocular lens (IOL) market, gaining the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approval of its Loong Crystal PR phakic IOL product for myopia in adults in January 2025.