Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Agilent, Carmat, Interscope, Quidel.
In an exclusive interview with BioWorld on the challenges facing a deeply divided Congress and some of the highlights of his years in the U.S. House, retiring Congressman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said that once the COVID- 19 pandemic is over, federal policymakers should hold a summit with officials from states and major cities to look at a new preparedness partnership that would ensure the availability of strategic medical supplies.
TORONTO – An airway clearance device that uses acoustic sound waves to treat lung disorders and respiratory infections like cystic fibrosis (CF) is now being used to clear the lungs of patients suffering very badly from COVID-19. Developed by Montreal-based Dymedso Inc., more than 675 Frequencer acoustic devices currently being utilized across the world are assisting COVID-19 patients by removing mucous and secretions from their lungs and smaller airways.
Miach Orthopaedics Inc. got a leg up on competitors with the U.S. FDA's de novo approval of its Bridge-Enhanced ACL Repair (BEAR) implant. The company achieved a long-term goal in orthopedics, developing a graft-free system that enables the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) to repair itself. The device represents the first new treatment for ACL tears in three decades.
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Acell, Artms, Medtronic, Products + Features, Quidel, Rapid Medical.
After nearly three months of the U.S. federal government operating on stopgap spending measures, Congress has agreed to a $1.4 trillion spending bill for fiscal 2021. The omnibus package, which includes $97 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, gives both the FDA and NIH small increases in funding.
LONDON – The EMA has issued a positive opinion on Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE’s COVID-19 vaccine, BNT-162b2, becoming the first regulator to recommend a full marketing authorization, rather than approval for emergency use. The vaccine, now brand named Comirnaty, still has to go through the formality of being approved by EU member state governments, but the EU health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, has said she expects roll out to start on Dec. 27.
The U.S. FDA has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for thousands of products for the COVID-19 pandemic, and the agency is legally required to advise companies of their post-pandemic options for new marketing authorization. Conversely, companies that fail to deal with inventory for expired EUAs may find themselves in the crosshairs of the FDA, whistleblowers, and federal and state attorneys, suggesting that manufacturers of devices should have a plan for dealing with unused inventories once the public health emergency comes to an end.
CAJICA, Colombia – After a lengthy process, French spinal-cord implants manufacturer Implanet SA received marketing authorization by Cofepris, the Mexican health care surveillance agency, to distribute its Jazz platform in the Latin American country. Martillac, France-based Implanet is now looking to train surgeons in Mexico to use its Jazz platform that is designed to improve the treatment of spinal pathologies requiring vertebral fusion surgery.