HONG KONG – Japan cuts medical device prices every two years to manage increasing health care costs. This year, the biennial medical device price cut will take effect beginning on April 1, 2020.

PERTH, Australia – With the Brexit split now official, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is trying to figure out the impact to its life sciences industry and the new trade relationships that will take effect after the transition period ends on Dec. 31, 2020.

Neurovasc Technologies Inc., of Laguna Hills, Calif., has entered a strategic partnership with the Wego Group that includes $34 million in funding to support the company’s product portfolio development and global clinical trial program. Specifically, the funding first will go toward studies of the company’s stent-retriever, designed to treat patients suffering an acute ischemic stroke, in markets such as Japan, the EU, U.S. and China.

LONDON – The COVID-19 epidemic has reached a “decisive point” as the number of new cases in the rest of the world exceeded the number of new cases in China, and seven countries reported infections for the first time.

LONDON – The COVID-19 outbreak appears to be sliding toward pandemic status, with the virus spreading to four more countries and confirmed cases and deaths mounting in infection hotspots in Italy, Iran and South Korea.

PERTH, Australia – Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has issued a draft guidance to help sponsors better understand the evidence requirements for market authorizations for medical devices, including in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) and software as a medical device (SaMD).

HONG KONG – India’s central government has finally placed most med-tech devices into the category of ‘drugs,’ subjecting them to control under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

HONG KONG – South Korea’s venture capital investment in the biopharma and medical sector set a new record in 2019. According to Korea Venture Capital Association (KVCA), local VC firms invested ₩1.1 trillion (US$930 million) over a total of 299 bio and medical ventures last year, representing 25.8% of the total VC investment executed in 2019.

BEIJING – Researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have developed a diagnostic system that they claim is the world’s most comprehensive as it can identify 30 to 40 pathogens in one single test within an hour.