The U.S. FDA posted a series of de novo decisions Sept. 9, including a digital diagnostic for chronic kidney disease progression by Renalytix AI Inc., of New York, and a digital therapy device for management of fibromyalgia symptoms by Swing Therapeutics Inc., of San Francisco.
The U.S. FDA is accused of dragging its feet on making public the devices for which it granted market access under the de novo program, and the agency recently been scrambling to bring these decision summaries to light.
The U.S. FDA granted Scopio Labs Ltd. de novo clearance for its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software which analyzes bone marrow. Scopio’s Full-Field Bone Marrow Aspirate (FF-BMA) system aims to improve patient care by standardizing bone marrow aspirate analysis and elevating diagnostic precision.
The U.S. FDA granted Virtual Incision Corp. de novo marketing authorization for its miniaturized in vivo robotic assistant for use in colectomy procedures in adults. The two-pound device offers portability and quick setup, eliminating the need for specialized operating rooms or arrangements to accommodate robotics.
The U.S. FDA granted the de novo marketing request for Bluewind Medical Ltd.’s Revi system for the treatment of urgency incontinence with or without urinary urgency, the company reported on August 17. Unlike other neuromodulation devices approved in recent years, Revi stimulates the tibial nerve instead of the sacral nerves.
Masimo Corp.’s Opioid Halo, an opioid overdose prevention and alert system, was granted de novo status by the U.S. FDA. The device detects opioid-induced respiratory depression, the primary cause of opioid deaths. The de novo authorizes the company to make Halo available over the counter and by prescription for use on individuals aged 15 and up.
Medasense Biometrics Ltd. received U.S. FDA marketing authorization for its PMD-200 patient monitor with nociception level index (NOL) technology that monitors patients’ physiological response to pain during surgery. NOL uses a multi-parametric sensor platform combined with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to generate a ‘signature of pain’ for patients under anesthesia who are also receiving opioids and other analgesics.
Playwright George Bernard Shaw is credited with coining the phrase, “better late than never,” a piece of advice the U.S. FDA seems to have taken to heart when it comes to posting the regulations for first-of-a-kind devices. The agency has posted eight regulations for de novo devices just between Jan. 4 and Jan. 5, 2023, five of those arriving on the latter of those two days in a post-holiday scramble to catch up.
The FDA’s device center has long been at the task of reclassifying legacy devices that promise a moderate degree of risk, but successful de novo device applications also call for a class II listing. The agency recently posted five such risk classifications, including for a device developed by Edwards Lifesciences Corp., of Irvine, Calif.