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.

Matthew Ros, chief strategy and business officer for Epizyme Inc., said the company is “not providing specific guidance at the moment” about the sales force that will be deployed to market Tazverik (tazemetostat) in follicular lymphoma (FL), an indication for which U.S. regulators are considering the oral, first-in-class EZH2 inhibitor. “But I can assure you we’ve planned very thoughtfully” about the effort, he said. “That's always been a part of why we thought epithelioid sarcoma [ES] was such a strategically important component of the overall business strategy to get on-the-ground experience.” The sales force numbers 19 for now.

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.