An update from China’s NMPA clarifying registration requirements and classification methods for drug-device combination products has been welcomed by industry as the regulator seeks to keep pace with fast-moving developments in the sector.

Visus Therapeutics Inc. has expanded its ophthalmic drug portfolio, in-licensing investigational therapies for glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration from Cella Therapeutics LLC, which will be developed by Finland’s Delsitech Ltd. using its extended-release depot technology.

Verily Life Sciences LLC, a division of Alphabet Inc., took its first major step to fulfill its goal of transforming clinical trials with the announcement of an agreement to buy Signalpath LLC for an undisclosed sum. The deal is Verily’s first major acquisition since the company spun out of Google Inc. in 2015. It’s likely not the last deal for the company in the short-term, however, as it raised $700 million in December 2020 to fund its aggressive expansion plans.

Opya Inc., a provider of integrated autism services, secured $15.4 million in a series A fundraising round. New investors in the round included Panoramic Ventures, Softbank’s Opportunity Fund, Disability Opportunity Fund, and Raven One Ventures. Divergent Investments and Altitude Ventures added to their existing investments in the company.

The FDA’s emergency use authorization (EUA) program is still active in the area of tests and test kits, which is due in part by the emergence of the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the associated warnings that the effectiveness of vaccines may be declining. One example of the sustained emphasis on testing is the EUA granted to Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. for two PCR test kits that can detect the latest variants of the virus, a demonstration that the demand for these updated tests seems unlikely to ebb anytime soon.

Abiomed Inc. is one of a number of companies whose share prices took a hit in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the company has since rebounded, thanks in part to the news that the FDA has granted the company a breakthrough device designation for its Impella ECP device. The external counterpulsation (ECP) system may eventually make significant headway in the hemodynamic support space thanks to the small size of the device, a key feature for patients undergoing high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures.