One-year data from Xeltis AG’s first-in-human Axess vascular conduit trial showed outstanding results in patients with end stage renal disease who were deemed unsuitable for arteriovenous (AV) fistula creation. The results, presented at the VEITHsymposium in New York, showed 100% secondary patency, 78% primary assisted patency and no infections were observed in data from 20 patients implanted with the Axess conduit.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the prospective payment rule for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) for calendar year 2024, and advocates had some luck prompting the agency to boost the base ESRD payment rate. However, Atlanta-based Pain Care Labs Inc. came up short in its transitional add-on payment application for the Buzzy Pro for relief of puncture wound site pain because, according to CMS, the device does not represent a substantial improvement over currently available remedies.
Xeltis AG reported the first-in-human results for its fully synthetic electrospun vascular access graft, showing 100% patency at six months in 20 patients with end stage renal disease who were not suitable for arteriovenous (AV) fistula creation.
Jiangsu Bioda Life Science Co. Ltd.’s artificial blood vessel has gained class III medical devices approval from China’s NMPA, marking the first domestic artificial blood vessel to get such approval. Nantong, China-based Bioda’s vessel is used for aortic coarctation and aneurysms.
Grand Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. acquired about 11% of the equity of Xeltis AG and will introduce Xeltis’ Axess to the greater China markets. Axess is a restorative hemodialysis access graft used for arteriovenous graft (AVG) patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
Davita Inc., lost a U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding limits to the private payer coverage for outpatient dialysis services despite, a development that took a double-digit bite out of Davita’s shares. However, shares of competitor Fresenius also took a hit, suggesting that the market sees the decision as a major setback for both companies.
With an FDA 510(k) clearance now in hand, Cloudcath Inc. is planning a phased launch of its remote monitoring platform for peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The company will make the system available on a limited basis in second half of 2022 “with broad U.S. availability increasing throughout 2023 and 2024,” Cloudcath CEO Aly ElBadry told BioWorld. The Cloudcath system continuously analyzes the dialysate fluid used in PD to detect early signs that a patient needs evaluation or intervention and then alerts both patients and clinicians.
The U.S. CMS has crafted a payment policy that covers both adjunctive and non-adjunctive continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in the final rule for durable medical equipment (DME). Medtronic plc, of Dublin, heralded the move as “a very important benefit expansion” for the company’s customers, but the expanded coverage also pays for additional CGMs that work with Medtronic insulin pumps.
Fist Assist Devices LLC received a breakthrough device designation from the FDA for its Fist Assist Model FA-1 device for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The pre-surgical dilation device promotes arteriovenous (AV) fistula creation in renal failure patients with inadequate vein size for creation of an AV fistula for hemodialysis. An AV fistula is a surgical connection between an artery and a vein used as an access point for dialysis.
The U.S. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made the first award to a product under an add-on payment for treatment of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) as part of the prospective payment schedule for calendar year 2022. Outset Medical Inc., of San Jose, Calif., snared the first of these novel add-on payments for medical technologies under the ESRD prospective payment system, but device makers working the ESRD space can expect to see many similar such awards in the years ahead.