The U.K. government said it is taking active steps to ensure that the country’s health and social care system can reliably access safe, effective and innovative technologies. One year following its inaugural medical technology strategy, the government reported changes underway which have already transformed the med-tech sector and consequently patients’ lives.

Ingenion Medical Ltd. received a CE mark for its Cymactive 2.0R urinary catheter, a device to treat men suffering from chronic, non-neurogenic urinary retention. The technology, designed to mimic natural urination, will “transform” the lives of men currently struggling with the challenges of using Foley-type catheters, Edward Cappabianca, CEO of Ingenion Medical told BioWorld.

Researchers from the U.K.’s University of Birmingham have filed for protection of an implantable device for targeted drug delivery in patients who have undergone surgery, particularly surgery to remove one or more tumors.

Australia’s Speedx Pty Ltd. is launching a new rapid polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) test for 14 different respiratory viruses in a single test that works on almost every commercial PCR platform in half the time and at a fraction of the cost of what its competitors charge.

The U.K. Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency is in the thick of its proposed regulatory overhaul for medical technology, which the agency promises will hew closely to the regulations still in deployment in the European Union.

Europe may still await its first disease-modifying Alzheimer’s drug after the EMA postponed its decision on Leqembi (lecanemab, Biogen Inc./Eisai Co. Ltd) on March 22, but leading members of the World Dementia Council were in an optimistic mood when they convened in London four days later.

Abbott Laboratories landed CE mark for two versions of its Assert-IQ insertable cardiac monitor (ICM), one with a three-year battery life, the other lasting six years. Designed for long-term remote monitoring of individuals with abnormal heartbeats or at risk of developing arrhythmias, the device helps detect often-fleeting irregularities in heart rhythm to assist in diagnosis and care management.

Metyos SAS has raised €2.3 million (US$2.7 million) in pre-seed funding for its biowearable sensor technology which monitors patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The funds will be used to progress the technology through clinical trials ahead of FDA approval.

Johnson Matthey plc agreed to sell its medical device components business to Montagu Private Equity for £550 million ($700 million) on a cash-free, debt-free basis. For Montagu, the deal is part of its expanding health care portfolio. Earlier in 2024 the private equity firm, which is the primary shareholder in RTI Surgical Inc., acquired Cook Biotech Inc. from Cook Medical Inc. and merged the two companies.

Serac Healthcare Ltd.’s imaging agent, 99m Tc-maraciclatide, enables visualization of early-stage endometriosis, preliminary data from a study presented last week at the Society for Reproductive Investigation conference in Vancouver demonstrated. With millions of women suffering from the debilitating condition globally, maraciclatide has the potential to not only help with diagnosis but also with the development of new therapeutics, David Hail, CEO of Serac, told BioWorld.