Europe has given device makers more time to meet requirements set out in the 2017 Medical Devices Regulation (MDR). The European Parliament approved in mid-February an extension of the transition periods for medical device and IVD manufacturers to comply with the new rules, which aim to enhance safety for patients and ensure the “smooth functioning of the internal market.”
Brazilian health care regulator Anvisa unveiled new medical device rules that promise to simplify over two decades of accumulated directives, putting into force changes announced by the health care surveillance agency in 2022.
Anvisa, Brazil´s health care surveillance agency, issued new regulations for the registration of medical devices as it works to harmonize its own rules with international standards and integrate its medtech industry with those of other countries in the region.
An investigational drug developed in Cuba for the potential treatment of Alzheimer´s and Parkinson's diseases has moved forward to phase III trials there, where scientists are optimistic about results of previous studies. The candidate, named Neuroepo and branded Neuralcim, was developed by the Center of Molecular Immunology (also known by its Spanish acronym CIM), a state-owned lab in the Caribbean nation.
Brazil’s health care regulator plans to start enforcing in July new regulations for software as a medical device (SaMD), clearing up doubts about its oversight over intangible health care assets such as software.
The med-tech industry across Latin America continues to grow, but the growth is uneven, concentrated in a handful of countries and faces significant challenges. A report released in December by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) reveals the complexity of the region's med-tech trade balance and underscores the main challenges for the industry in the region, whose performance was also impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Robotic technologies company Stereotaxis Inc. is scaling up its footprint in the Chinese med-tech market, with a deal to commercialize its robotic technology for heart rhythm therapy in China with Shanghai Microport EP Medtech Co. Ltd. The St. Louis-based Stereotaxis aims to introduce a second-generation robot called Genesis to the Chinese market that uses a magnetic navigation technology to treat heart rhythm disorders. Its partner, Shanghai Microport EP Medtech, is a division of one of China's largest med-tech manufacturers, Shanghai-based Microport Scientific Corp.
