Regulation
Behind the scenes, there were many conflicting, but also useful discussions, which ultimately shaped the message the European Parliament delivered to the European Commission in late October about the need for changes to the Medical Device and IVD Regulations.
The US FDA’s advisory panel on general and plastic surgery devices voted in favor of agency approval for a novel medical device for treating early stage, low-risk breast cancer as a potential alternative to lumpectomy. The agency is expected to make its decision on the device early next year.
In this week’s Digital Health Roundup, Medtech Insight’s Marion Webb talks about her interview with GE HealthCare’s chief AI officer Parminder Bhatia about his vision for AI in health care and other highlights from HLTH. Natasha Barrow discusses her interview with Owkin on the EU AI Act and highlights Click Therapeutics’ latest clinical results.
AdvaMed is calling on Medicare to provide coverage for supplemental screenings for women with dense breasts, an anatomical characteristic that puts them at a higher risk for cancer. The trade group says the lack of coverage for additional imaging results in many women not receiving potentially lifesaving follow-up.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he will let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild on medicines” if he wins the White House. That could spell challenges for the US FDA in 2025.
The milestones on MHRA’s in-progress medtech regulatory roadmap for Great Britain will be subject to some change in the coming months.
The European Commission has issued a draft document setting out the potential conditions for joint HTA scientific consultations on medical devices taking place in parallel with consultations with an expert panel.
Device supply interruptions and withdrawals, now common in the EU, could threaten patient safety. Newly issued manufacturer guidance from the European Commission is intended to improve transparency and minimize disruption.
European cross-country HTA collaborations have much to learn from each other to keep prices from rising unfairly, Nordic health technology assessment experts say, adding that talks on collaboration are also ongoing with HTA bodies outside the continent.
When former FDAer Steve Silverman last wrote for us, there was no formal successor to Jeff Shuren as director of CDRH. With the elevation of acting director Michelle Tarver, the future is becoming more clear.
House Republicans say the FDA has not done enough to support its laboratory safety office, despite past recommendations.
An agreement between the EU and Switzerland potentially opening the way for renewal of the MRA – enabling barrier-free cross-border medtech trade – could be concluded as early as December. More good news for Switzerland, relating to the acceptance of FDA-approved products into the country, could follow in Q1 2025.
The European Parliament wants the European Commission to revise the Medical Device Regulation within 100 days. But EU member state authorities warn of the consequences of rushing matters.
The medical device industry supports the FDA's draft guidance document on Diversity Action Plans but seeks flexibility and clarity, especially for international and IVD trials, and recommends using real-world data for postmarket studies.
As the 6 May deadline to implement the FDA’s final rule on lab-developed tests approaches, attempts to stop the rule from taking effect are set to play out in court. A panel of experts discussed the potential impact of these legal efforts, should they be successful, at the Medtech Conference in Toronto.
A new UK medtech survey sets out industry’s market access and regulatory concerns and makes clear where system users see the need for improvement. There are some grounds for optimism, but the MHRA’s planned rise in regulatory fees could undo some of the good work.
Achieving a balance between regulatory controls and promoting innovation is proving one of the biggest challenges that the EU is facing since the implementation of the MDR and IVDR. But there are ways through.
This week, J&J announced that it was buying heart failure device firm V-Wave; Procept got the FDA’s OK on a clinical trial of its Aquablation treatment for prostate cancer; and CMS began to consider Medicare reimbursement of Abbott’s TriClip tricuspid repair device.
The US FDA has released its annual list of planned guidance documents for the upcoming fiscal year. While many topics on the list are familiar, a new “Under Construction” list shows rising priorities.
The College of American Pathologists wants a US district court to scrap the FDA’s final rule that unilaterally assumes oversight of lab-developed tests, but not because the college feels the agency has no business regulating them. Helena Duncan, senior director of quality at CAP, explained the college’s position to Medtech Insight.