SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Just as it does with treatments, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) offers detailed guidelines on genomic testing by cancer type. These are key in determining what physicians can prescribe routinely and what insurers will cover. But those guidelines aren’t followed regularly outside a major research hospital setting, thereby obviating access to tumor genetic information that could help to better guide treatment. Even if current guidelines are followed, physicians and patients can get information back from the tests that neither party is prepared to process. Read More
Whether large or small, or based in the U.S. or abroad, life sciences companies are an increasingly attractive target for shareholder suits. The number of securities fraud class action suits filed in the U.S. in 2019 across all industries totaled 404, just one more than the 403 cases filed in 2018 and down from the peak of 412 in 2017, according to a new Dechert LLP report. Read More
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – It has never been easy to get payers to reimburse in a timely and adequate fashion for novel diagnostics, making it notoriously difficult to build a business from them. But a few high-flying diagnostics companies, such as Madison, Wis.-based Exact Sciences Corp. and Redwood City, Calif.-based Guardant Health Inc., have been blazing the trail recently on how to rapidly scale up to become valuable commercial entities from origins as a research-based startup. Read More
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – While many of the presentations at the Precision Medicine World Conference revolved around clinical studies and their promise for future breakthroughs in health care, a continuous stream of companies made their pitches for translating these studies into actual products that can benefit patients now. Read More
The controversy over the use of paclitaxel-bearing devices in the femoropopliteal arteries is far from over. Now, a new medical journal article makes a similar claim about mortality in connection with the use of these devices in the infrapopliteal arteries, threatening once again to take a bite out of utilization. Read More
BEIJING – With promising phase II data in hand – and newly designated FDA orphan drug status – Suzhou, China-based Tennor Therapeutics Suzhou Co. Ltd. is gearing up to move into pivotal testing with TNP-2092 to treat prosthetic joint infections. TNP-2092 is a multitargeting drug conjugate designed to exert antibacterial activity by inhibiting three essential targets in bacterial biofilms. Read More
Med-tech happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Avinger, Baylis Medical, Co-Diagnostics, Eptam Precision Solutions, Frazier Healthcare Partners, Fresenius Medical Care, Glaxosmithkline, HG Capital, Intelerad Medical Systems, Investissements Novacap, Myriad Genetics, New Heritage Capital, Oncimmune Holdings, Visquate Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Baze, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Strata Skin Sciences, Sysmex Read More
The latest global regulatory news, changes and updates affecting medical devices and technologies, including: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Cowen Washington Research Group, European Commission, GE Healthcare Read More