In early validation of widespread predictions of a robust year for M&A activity, Boston Scientific Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire the 74% of Bolt Medical Inc. it doesn’t already own for $443 million up front and up to $221 million in contingent milestone payments. Read More

Xeltis BV completed enrollment in the EU pivotal trial for its restorative vascular access conduit, Axess. The prospective study will investigate the patency, safety and performance of Axess in adult patients with end-stage renal disease requiring vascular access to start or maintain hemodialysis therapy. Read More

China’s health regulator gave conditional approval to Platinum Life Excellence Biotech Co. Ltd.’s amimestrocel injection (hUC-MSC PLEB-001, Ruibosheng) as the nation’s first human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy to treat steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease on Jan. 2, 2025. Read More

Stressing the importance of integrity in taxpayer-funded biomedical research, the U.S. Department of Justice reported that Athira Pharma Inc. agreed to pay more than $4 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it failed to report potential research misconduct to the NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Research Integrity in grant applications and progress reports. Read More

Continuing a spate of beginning-of-the-year guidance, the U.S. FDA released a draft guidance on developing drugs for optical imaging. Read More

BioWorld MedTech’s staff recaps the med-tech and diagnostic trends and breakthroughs of 2024, the financing trends of the past year and the regulatory actions likely to affect med-tech into 2025. Read More

BioWorld’s staff recaps the therapeutic trends and breakthroughs of 2024, the economic highs and lows facing the industry throughout the past year and the regulatory actions that are likely to have implications as biopharma forges ahead in 2025. Read More

Taking a look back at the achievements in research this year, including brain maps, pandemic breakthroughs and advances in pregnancy health. Read More

New hires and promotions in the med-tech industry, including: Beyeonics Vision, Evident Vascular, Prognomiq, Quest Diagnostics, Sotera Health, Sunbird, Tango, Trisalus, Vitestro. Read More

Med-tech firms raising money in public or private financings, including: Bio-Rad, Cequr, Geneoscopy, Labcorp, Onkos, Senseera. Read More

Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Clearcut Medical, Together Senior Health. Read More

Med-tech happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Biomediq, Catalyst Medtech, Edap, Johnson & Johnson Medtech, Karl Storz, Molex Asia Holdings, Northstar Medical, Phillips Medisize, Qiagen, Reflexion, Screenpoint Medical, Tandem Diabetes Care, Trutechnologies, Vectura, Yap Therapeutics. Read More