The U.S. FDA posted an Aug. 6 early alert regarding the use of the Watchman left atrial appendage device by Boston Scientific Corp., citing instances in which the device’s delivery system is associated with events of embolism.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported Aug. 6 that it will try to block Edwards Lifesciences Corp.’s proposed acquisition of Jenavalve because Edwards’ acquisition of both Jenavalve Technology Inc. and JC Medical would eliminate competition in the TAVR space for aortic regurgitation.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has tapped Sean Keveney for the job of FDA chief counsel, but the recent history of the position muddies the waters when it comes to HHS oversight of FDA legal affairs.
The U.S. FDA has staked out a position on the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in medical devices, declaring that the evidence offers no reason to restrict their continued use in med-tech products.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services adopted several significant policy changes in the Medicare inpatient final rule for fiscal 2026, which includes a larger rate bump for hospitals than seen in the draft.
The U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated its guidance for the use of single-procedure insertion of scaffolds for knee cartilage repairs, specifying that only qualified surgeons should perform the procedure.
Negotiations for the sixth U.S. FDA device user fee agreement (MDUFA VI) are officially underway, and the Aug. 4 meeting highlighted some of the differences between the agency’s and industry’s expectations.
The FDA announced July 17 that Dexcom Inc. recalled a series of continuous glucose monitor receivers for a failure of speakers to issue an alert for out-of-specification blood glucose measures. This is a clear demonstration of the principle that greater device functionality often creates new types of risk.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced July 31 that Illumina Inc. agreed to pay $9.8 million to settle allegations it sold genomic sequencing equipment that suffered from cybersecurity problems. The settlement concludes a qui tam lawsuit filed by a former employee and highlights the hazards of poor cybersecurity for med-tech firms.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met July 31 to markup legislation that would fund the Department of Health and Human Services – including an additional $400 million for the National Institutes of Health. The increase in NIH funding repudiates the Trump administration’s efforts to drastically cut those appropriations, which is an outcome marking a clear win for companies in the life sciences.
