The Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology (MCIT) rule is administratively a dead letter, but the U.S. House of Representatives’ Cures 2.0 legislation would statutorily resurrect the MCIT concept. Scott Whitaker, president and CEO of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), said automatic coverage of breakthrough devices does not constitute a subversion of the Medicare coverage process, but added that AdvaMed is not opposed to other means of cutting the Medicare red tape, such as greater resources at CMS.
Clinicians may soon be able to identify wounds likely to have difficulty healing before they deteriorate thanks to the FDA’s 510(k) clearance for Moleculight Inc.’s i:X imaging device for detection of wounds containing high levels of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). The point-of-care i:X visualizes fluorescence, with wounds containing elevated levels of PA glowing cyan.
While the FDA has not provided transcriptions for device user fee meetings in roughly five months, the agency is still demonstrably determined to increase the volume of user fees. A source close to the negotiations told BioWorld that the latest proposal from the agency, dated Sept. 22, would require that industry come up with roughly $2.5 billion over the next five fiscal years, more than double the amount under MDUFA IV.
Illumina Inc.’s troubled takeover of Grail Inc. is facing further backlash from the European Commission (EC) after the regulator issued a statement of objections to the companies following their alleged breach of the EU Merger Regulation. Illumina’s acquisition of Grail has faced scrutiny from regulators since it was first announced due to concerns the deal could curb innovation and competition.
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Bionaut Labs, Moleculight, Zymo Research.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Advaccine, Algernon, Arcturus, Bluebird, Carisma, Cytodyn, Incyte, Inovio, Inventiva, Moberg, Pharmamar, Radius Health, Rhythm, Taysha Gene Therapies, Tryp.
Five days after an FDA advisory committee recommended a booster dose of Pfizer Inc.-Biontech SE’s COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, for people 65 and older or those who are at high risk of a serious infection, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) struggled Sept. 22 with what a U.S. booster program would look like if only one booster is available when three different COVID-19 vaccines are being used in the country.
The U.K. government has doubled down on its overarching strategy for artificial intelligence (AI) with a 10-year plan to sustain the nation’s place in the global AI race. One of the key considerations in this plan is to revisit the criteria for status as an inventor, a clear nod to the dilemma presented by proponents of allowing the DABUS algorithm to be named as an inventor.
The FDA granted de novo marketing authorization for Paige Prostate, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven software that improves detection of prostate cancer. The clinical study submitted to the FDA demonstrated that using Paige Prostate resulted in a 7% improvement in sensitivity in correctly diagnosing cancer, increasing from 89.5% to 96.8%.
The U.K. National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has examined the evidence for the use of mitral valve-in-valve procedures and found the evidence for safety is well rounded despite concerns about several complications.