The FDA granted an investigational device exemption (IDE) to Hancock Jaffe Laboratories Inc. for Venovalve, clearing the way for the company to begin a pivotal trial of the implantable valve in patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) of the deep veins of the leg. The company’s first patent covering the device was issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 7.

Virtual Incision Corp. revealed that it had received a green light from the U.S. FDA to begin its study of its miniaturized in vivo robotic assistant (MIRA) Platform. Initially, the company will focus the platform on minimally invasive laparoscopic colon surgery. With the MIRA Platform, the company will aim to enter a growing market in the U.S., where more than 400,000 colon resection procedures are performed each year.

Shockwave Medical Inc., which is focused on intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) to treat severely calcified cardiovascular disease, saw its stock value rise Friday (NASDAQ:SWAV), eventually closing at $78.22, up $3.47, or 4.64%, following the presentation of positive results from the Disrupt CAD III trial.

Carag AG received investigational device exemption (IDE) approval from the U.S. FDA for its Carag Bioresorbable Septal Occluder (CBSO). The device is the first transcatheter septal occluder with a nonmetal, bioresorbable framework. The Baar, Switzerland-based company plans a "swift start" for a staged study trial in the U.S. with 250 patients, Carag's CEO Jérôme Bernhard told BioWorld.

The U.S. FDA has greenlighted Ancora Heart Inc.’s IDE request to conduct the Corcinch-HF pivotal clinical trial. The study is intended to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the Accucinch ventricular restoration system in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Balt USA LLC, of Irvine, Calif., has received a thumbs up from the FDA to begin an IDE trial of its Squid liquid embolic device for the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH). The nonadhesive agent offers a minimally invasive option for a disabling neurological condition that often requires brain surgery to correct.

The FDA granted Setpoint Medical Corp. an investigational device exemption (IDE) approval to study its bioelectronic platform in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The Valencia, Calif.-based company expects to begin enrollment in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled pivotal trial in patients with RA in the third quarter of 2020, Setpoint President and CEO Murthy Simhambhatla told BioWorld.

As companies scramble to develop diagnostic tests and vaccines for COVID-19, there is a need for effective treatments for patients suffering severe respiratory effects from the novel coronavirus. To that end, Beyond Air Inc., of Garden City, N.Y., and Rehovot, Israel, has applied to the U.S. FDA to conduct an IDE trial of its inhaled nitric oxide (NO) system, Lungfit Bro, in COVID-19 patients.

Alydia Health Inc., of Menlo Park, Calif., has completed enrollment in the pivotal PEARLE investigational device exemption (IDE) study, which is assessing the safety and effectiveness of the Jada system to rapidly control and treat abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding and postpartum hemorrhage.

GI Dynamics Inc.’s U.S. IDE trial of Endobarrier, which is designed for patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and obesity, is now underway with the first patient enrollment at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, Mich. The FDA approved the pivotal STEP-1 clinical trial in August 2019 to evaluate the Endobarrier as a barrier between the small intestine and food to reduce calorie intake.