In the debate over the interpretation of the U.S. government’s patent march-in rights under the Bayh-Dole Act, those arguing for march-in as a price control cite the billions of tax dollars being invested in scientific research at universities that may lead to marketable inventions.

PERTH, Australia – Australia’s TGA issued final guidance on clinical evidence requirements for medical devices in response to updated regulations that have resulted in changes to evidence requirements. Clinical evidence is required for all medical devices and in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) that are listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). The clinical evidence requirements apply when a device is first listed as well as over the lifecycle of the device. If safety issues are identified, the TGA may ask manufacturers to update clinical information to more accurately reflect risk.

The management team at Respinova Ltd. is breathing easier with the FDA's 510(k) clearance of the company's Pulsehaler. Using pulsed air pressure, the device opens airways and clears secretions in patients with respiratory diseases. The clearance represents the device’s first endorsement by a regulatory agency, though the company hopes it will soon be joined by others.

The shortage of hearts for transplant is a matter of record for both cardiologists and patients, a problem that Transmedics Inc. proposed to solve with its Organ Care System (OCS). Despite several significant issues associated with the pivotal clinical study for the OCS, Transmedics snared a 12-5 vote that the benefits of the system outweigh the risks, an outcome that may bring at least some relief for heart transplant patients by mid-year if analyst expectations are on target.

Xenter Inc. has officially launched, positioning itself as the first startup device/data/drug med-tech company. The company is developing wireless solutions for interventional cardiology, interventional radiology and neurointerventional radiology. The company’s goal is to take the medical devices that have been used most ubiquitously throughout medicine, one by one, and replace them with smart technologies that incorporate such things as software, sensors and signals technologies.

LONDON – The largest study to date, involving 236,379 confirmed cases, shows that 1 in 3 survivors of COVID-19 was diagnosed with a neurological or psychiatric condition within six months of contracting the infection. For 13% of those patients, it was their first such diagnosis.