HONG KONG – Pentax Medical Co., of Tokyo, has gained CE marking for its artificial intelligence-based polyp detector Discovery. The detector assists endoscopists in finding potential polyps during a colorectal examination. The software has been trained using more than 120,000 files from about 300 clinical cases.

Augmedics Inc., a Chicago-based startup focused on augmented reality (AR) applications in health care, has scored a 510(k) clearance from the U.S. FDA for its Xvision Spine system. The company launched the device, which provides surgeons with X-ray quality insights into a patient’s anatomy and real-time surgical navigation, on Monday, with distribution slated to begin in the new year. While the FDA has cleared other AR products, Xvision Spine (XVS) is the first to be indicated for guided surgery.

The exclusion of makers of devices and drugs from a proposed overhaul of the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) probably took many in industry by surprise, but Premier Inc., of Charlotte, N.C., argued that this approach fails to capitalize on an opportunity to hold manufacturers accountable for clinical outcomes in value-based arrangements.

Following lengthy consultations with industry, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has released its new regulatory framework for in vitro companion diagnostics (IVD CDx) that becomes effective in February.

The much-maligned medical device tax was finally laid to rest Dec. 20, as President Donald Trump signed a spending bill that included a permanent repeal of the tax. The 2.3% excise tax on devices was brought into the statute via the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and its repeal brings much-needed breathing room to small device makers.

Seven years after an advisory hearing on the subject, the FDA has determined that cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) devices will be slotted as class III devices when used for depression. The decision comes despite a number of irregularities that took place at the February 2012 advisory hearing.

Gainesville, Fla.-based startup Etectrx Inc. has secured an FDA clearance for its ingestible event marker system, the ID-Cap system. The startup is following in the footsteps of Redwood City, Calif.-based Proteus Digital Health Inc., which pioneered the category. The Etectrx approach, however, obviates the need for a skin-worn patch to monitor a signal from an ingestible sensor delivered with medication that’s been taken. It is the first to transmit a signal directly from within the body to a receiver that’s worn on a lanyard.