As expected, the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted near-unanimously on Dec. 17, with one abstention, that available evidence shows the benefits of Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273, outweigh its risks for people 18 and older. The vote bolsters the likelihood that the regulator will grant the vaccine an emergency use authorization (EUA), which could come as soon as Friday. Not the same as an approval, the authorization would allow for the vaccine's use for the prevention of COVID-19 in the U.S. even as further trials and regulatory evaluation remains underway ahead of a company BLA submission.
The U.S. FDA granted a breakthrough device designation to Exero Medical Ltd.’s implantable smart sensor for early detection of anastomotic leaks after gastrointestinal (GI) surgery. The device continuously monitors the GI tract near the surgical site to alert providers about potentially deadly leaks.
As COVID-19 cases surge across the U.S., there is growing demand for greater access to testing to rein in the pandemic. On Wednesday, the U.S. FDA granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Abbott Laboratories for at-home use of the company’s Binaxnow COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test. Abbott has teamed up with Miami-based telehealth provider Emed to distribute and administer the tests, with an expected 30 million in the first quarter of 2021.
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Concept Medical, Corvion, Miach Orthopedics.
Bone Health Technologies Inc. may be on the verge of upstaging a common drug therapy, but don't tell them to break a leg. The San Francisco-based company's Osteoboost Vibration Belt received a U.S. FDA breakthrough designation for technology that delivers gentle stimulation to reduce bone loss and prevent osteoporosis with the goal of reducing the number of potentially devastating broken bones in the elderly.
The U.S. FDA has granted breakthrough device designation to Spark Biomedical Inc. for its Roo system, a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator to assist newborns with opioid withdrawal. The noninvasive neurostimulation device is modeled on the company’s Sparrow Therapy System for adult opioid withdrawal relief.
The U.S. FDA’s intended use rule has been in flux for the past half-decade, with yet another draft rule making the rounds for comment. Despite any concerns that speech regarding off-label use might again be seen as a primary driver of prosecution, Sara Bloom, senior litigation counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice’s District of Massachusetts office, said distribution of the product in question is frequently the key feature where federal prosecutors are concerned. Bloom said communication of off-label use often serves primarily as a confirmatory element of the manufacturer’s intent rather than as the decisive part of the prosecution’s case.
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