Device makers have been making use of computational modeling and simulation (CMS) for device design for a number of years, and the FDA has released a draft guidance for how agency reviewers will assess the credibility of those models. However, the agency said there is a paucity of analytical methods for evaluating these tools, a factor that may add drag to the agency’s review of industry’s use of products and data thus developed.
The FDA has posted two draft guidances for the transition of policies from the pandemic to more normal times. One of these is the long-awaited draft for transitioning a device from an emergency use authorization (EUA) to a conventional premarket status, which offers a 180-day grace period for an EUA after the agency identifies a date on which the EUA will be terminated.
PERTH, Australia – The FDA has given the green light to Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd.’s lead radiopharmaceutical imaging agent, Illuccix, for prostate cancer. Illuccix is a kit for the preparation of gallium-68 (68Ga) prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) 11 for imaging prostate cancer with positron emission tomography (PET). It targets PSMA, a protein that is overexpressed on the surface of more than 90% of primary and metastatic prostate cancer cells.
The FDA granted 510(k) clearance to Neuronetics Inc.’s MT Cap technology for the company’s transcranial magnetic stimulation system, Neurostar Advanced Therapy for Mental Health. The MT Cap speeds the process used to determine the dose and motor threshold for treatment with the Neurostar system for major depressive disorder (MDD). The company expects to begin a limited introduction of the product within weeks, with national rollout to follow in the first quarter of 2022.
Brainsgate Ltd. came up short in a recent FDA advisory hearing for the company’s Ischemic Stroke System (ISS) to treat stroke despite that the panel was unanimously satisfied with the pivotal trial’s safety numbers. One of the issues with the pivotal study was the small enrollment of study subjects in the U.S., which demonstrates once again the hazards of relying on outside-U.S. study data in applications with the FDA.
The COVID-19 pandemic shone an unsparing light on counterfeit devices, but the FDA has previously enjoyed only limited authority to deal with those products. Thanks to legislation passed in January 2021, the agency now has authority to destroy imported counterfeit devices, including those combined with counterfeit drugs. The agency has had authority to destroy counterfeit drugs for a number of years, but that authority did not extend to counterfeit devices until passage of the Safeguarding Therapeutics Act of 2020, which was signed into law in January 2021.
PERTH, Australia – The FDA has given the green light to Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd.’s lead radiopharmaceutical imaging agent, Illuccix, for prostate cancer. Illuccix is a kit for the preparation of gallium-68 (68Ga) prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) 11 for imaging prostate cancer with positron emission tomography (PET). It targets PSMA, a protein that is overexpressed on the surface of more than 90% of primary and metastatic prostate cancer cells.
The FDA granted 510(k) clearance to Sky Medical Technology Ltd.’s Geko device for patients with venous insufficiency and/or ischemia. The neurostimulation device is worn at the knee and increases blood flow in lower limb soft tissue of patients. The company said it will initiate a controlled market release in partnership with U.S. clinicians in a bid to reshape venous insufficiency treatment.
The FDA has approved Astrazeneca plc and Amgen Inc.’s first-in-class biologic, tezepelumab, for the add-on maintenance treatment of adults and children ages 12 and older with severe asthma, adding further competition to a hotly contested market. An injection marketed under the brand name Tezspire, tezepelumab inhibits the action of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (anti-TLSP). This is a signaling molecule at the top of several cascades influencing allergic, eosinophilic and other types of airway inflammation associated with severe asthma, including airway hyperresponsiveness.
Argenx NV’s Vyvgart (efgartigimod), approved late Friday by the FDA for treating generalized myasthenia gravis, became the first FcRn antagonist to cross the finish line. But the best news may be the drug’s broad label, which company executives highlighted during an investor call.