The U.S. FDA reported the launch of its in-house generative AI (GenAI) tool, dubbed Elsa, for a variety of purposes. FDA commissioner Marty Makary assuaged industry’s privacy concerns by promising that the algorithm does not train on data submitted by makers of devices and pharmaceuticals.

The Trump administration released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, which would chop roughly 40% from the NIH budget over the current fiscal year — a proposal that might not find much support on Capitol Hill.

The U.S. FDA declined to appeal the outcome of a lawsuit eviscerating the agency’s final rule for regulation of lab-developed tests despite a 60-day window to do so.

The U.S. Department of Justice is reshuffling its enforcement focus for the coming three years per a May 12 memo attributed to Matthew Galeotti, director of the department’s criminal division. Galeotti said federal attorneys should avoid prosecutorial adventurism in an effort to strike what he described as “an appropriate balance” between enforcement and “unnecessary burdens on American enterprise.”

The U.S. FDA’s device guidance drought ended with the issuance of one draft and one final guidance, the latter of which deals with the Q-sub program for early interaction with sponsors of device applications. Per a request by industry, the agency indicated it is amenable to including FDA policy staff during these meetings, which may help to avoid surprises in premarket applications.

The doctrine of inherent disclosure is not one of the more common methods for invalidating patent claims, but this doctrine led the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to declare that several claims found in a patent held by Carl Zeiss X-Ray Microscopy Inc. are invalid.

The U.S. FDA issued general correspondence letters to two device testing labs located in China. This is the latest in a series of moves by the agency to crack down on falsified or otherwise invalid device testing data.

The controversy over budget scoring by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) once again prompted legislation that would overhaul the membership of a health advisory panel that may affect legislation dealing with the Medicare program. The Health Panel Act of 2025 requires the panel be composed of six members each appointed by Republicans and Democrats. The bill's sponsor said this is crucial to ensure diversity of political views, which is said to be lacking as the panel is currently constituted.

The U.S. Department of Justice arrested two men in connection with fraudulently billing the Medicare program for COVID-19 tests, some of which were billed for deceased beneficiaries. The case is notable for its use of foreign nationals recruited to set up non-existent labs to file the claims, seeming to signal a new front in efforts to corral Medicare fraud in the U.S.

The Trump administration nominated John Squires of the firm of Dilworth Paxson to take the post of director of the Patent and Trademark Office, but the appointment faces a few hurdles.