The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked some innovation in testing, but not all that innovation has made it to market. Michael Mina, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University, said on an Aug. 7 conference call that the U.S. FDA’s “archaic view” of testing is impeding the use of paper strip tests he said would turn the tide in the effort to contain the pandemic.

People with diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy (DR), an eye condition that can cause vision loss and blindness. However, early detection and treatment can slow its progress. To that end, the Food and Drug Administration has cleared the way for Eyenuk Inc. to market its Eyeart autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) system for DR screening in the U.S.

Real-world evidence (RWE) and clinical trial data might seem to bear little resemblance to each other, but Naomi Aronson, executive director for clinical evaluation at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, said there are problems common to both. The most significant of these is an absence of validated outcomes measures for many conditions, measures Aronson said are “desperately” needed in order to make an appropriate coverage determination.

Developers of tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus have gained a tremendous amount of experience in a very small amount of time, and of all the media for sampling, saliva offers the easiest route for test administration. The U.S. FDA’s Tim Stenzel said on the Aug. 5 testing town hall, however, that the FDA and developers have discovered that this is an extremely difficult medium to work with.

The matter of how adhesion of its Viaskin Peanut allergy patch relates to efficacy became a major problem for DBV Technologies SA, which drew a complete response letter (CRL) for the once-daily epicutaneous (EPIT) product. Shares of the Montrouge, France-based firm (NASDAQ:DBVT) closed Aug. 4 at $2.34, down $1.76, or 43%, in reaction to the CRL for the patch, designed to protect children ages 4 to 11. The FDA wants DBV to modify the patch, which means a new human-factor study; officials also are requiring clinical data for the modified patch.

A number of entities have sounded off on the FDA’s discussion paper for artificial intelligence (AI), including several medical societies that would like to see autonomously operating algorithms subjected to more stringent review than supervised algorithms. Vibhor Rastogi, general partner at Symphony AI of Los Altos, Calif., told BioWorld that the company is on board with many of these concerns, adding that the FDA discussion paper does a “good job of balancing innovation and patient safety.”

Medtronic plc has won U.S. FDA approval of its Interstim Micro rechargeable sacral nerve stimulator and Interstim Surescan MRI leads for the treatment of urinary and bowel dysfunctions. The new products make Medtronic the only company to offer a choice between rechargeable and recharge-free sacral neuromodulation (SNM) systems, allowing patients to align their treatment with personal lifestyle preferences.

The U.S. FDA expanded the indications for Stryker Corp.’s Neuroform Atlas stent system to include use in the posterior circulation or back of the brain, making the device the only adjunctive stent approved for aneurysms in this challenging location. The Kalamazoo, Mich.-based company’s intracranial coil-assist stent gained its initial indication for the more common aneurysms in the anterior circulation of the neurovasculature in May 2019.

In a time when the FDA needs its best and brightest people onboard, nearly half the senior leadership at the agency will be eligible for retirement by Sept. 30.

The U.S. FDA has nudged the emergency use authorization (EUA) program forward once again, this time with a template for applications for tests that can be performed entirely at home, in the office and at schools. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in an accompanying statement that tests of this sort “will be a game-changer in our fight against COVID-19 and will be crucial as the nation looks toward reopening.”