Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moved a step closer Feb. 4 to becoming the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Senate Finance Committee voted 14-13 along party lines to send Kennedy’s nomination to the Senate floor for confirmation. While “no” votes were expected from the 13 Democrats serving on the committee, a big question mark had hung over which way Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., would vote, given the comments he made at two committee hearings on the nomination. In the end, Cassidy voted along with his 13 Republican colleagues, offering no comment on his vote at the meeting. Read More
Curently the only available blood test to tell which women are at risk of postpartum depression (PPD) is the one that confirms their pregnancy – and a one in seven chance of developing the condition which can have long-term implications for both mother and child. Research out of the University of Virginia and Weill Cornell Medicine could soon change that by identifying biomarkers in the third trimester of pregnancy that indicate which women have the greatest risk of developing PPD. Read More
The Chinese government blacklisted several American companies, including gene sequencing-focused biotechnology firm Illumina Inc. and fashion brand PVH Corp., citing threats to China’s “national sovereignty, security and development interests.” Read More
Aussie radiopharma company Advancell Co. Ltd. closed an oversubscribed $112 million series C round that will accelerate clinical development of its pipeline of radionuclide therapies and allow it to expand its manufacturing capacity. Read More
C the Signs Ltd. recently received a capital injection of $8 million from Khosla Ventures to expand its AI-powered cancer prediction platform to the U.S. market. Read More
The U.K. Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency has provided guidance on what does and does not constitute a regulated digital mental health technology, but developers should be aware that promotional claims could push a product from the unregulated to the regulated category. Read More
U.S. federal law is still lacking where AI is concerned, but California’s attorney general issued a bulletin that elevates the legal hazards of AI in medical use. The bulletin says that AI tools may not supplant a physician’s decision-making, a provision that would seem to render some FDA-cleared products illegal there. Read More
New hires and promotions in the med-tech industry, including: Airs Medical, Artedrone, Bio-Techne, Cytovale, FDA, Get Well, Iantrek, Medrhythms, Pulse Biosciences, Trisalus Life Sciences. Read More
Med-tech happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Aclarion, Akura Medical, Ambry Genetics, Avantik, Cardio Diagnostics , Catheter Precision, Movano, Pathmaker Neurosystems, Neuroone, Swing Therapeutics, Tempus AI, Theranica. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Femasys, Gyder, Rapidai. Read More
