Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moved a step closer Feb. 4 to becoming the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Senate Finance Committee voted 14-13 along party lines to send Kennedy’s nomination to the Senate floor for confirmation. While “no” votes were expected from the 13 Democrats serving on the committee, a big question mark had hung over which way Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., would vote, given the comments he made at two committee hearings on the nomination. In the end, Cassidy voted along with his 13 Republican colleagues, offering no comment on his vote at the meeting.

The U.K. Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency has provided guidance on what does and does not constitute a regulated digital mental health technology, but developers should be aware that promotional claims could push a product from the unregulated to the regulated category.

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.