Functional Neuromodulation Ltd. is looking to help those suffering from mild Alzheimer's disease. To that end, it recently disclosed that it has kicked off the global ADvance II Study (NCT03622905), a pivotal clinical trial to assess deep brain stimulation (DBS) in these patients.

The U.S. FDA's emphasis on device safety is well known. Now, the agency has published a draft guidance that aims to provide expedited reviews for device and diagnostic applications that are "reasonably expected to significantly improve" safety, which, in conjunction with the breakthrough devices program, suggests that many other applications will be in the queue for increasingly longer periods of time.

Melbourne, Australia-based regenerative medicine company Avita Medical Ltd. has received good news from the FDA. The company, which also has a presence in Valencia, Calif., said the agency gave its thumbs up to an investigational device exemption application for a pivotal trial (NCT04091672) evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the Recell autologous cell harvesting device in combination with meshed autografting for the treatment of acute full-thickness skin defects, such as degloving, crush wounds, abrasions, lacerations and surgical wounds.

HONG KONG – Dreamed Diabetes Ltd., of Petah Tikva, Israel, has received both FDA clearance and the CE mark for an insulin dosing decision support software based on artificial intelligence (AI).

Chronic bronchitis affects more than 9 million people in the U.S., but current treatments fail to address the overproduction of mucus. Gala Therapeutics Inc., of Menlo Park, Calif., is looking to change that.

With little more than a month to go before a trial begins in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) against several opioid manufacturers, privately owned Purdue Pharma LP is continuing its efforts to settle with all the plaintiffs involved.

Depending on who's talking, the U.S. patent system may, or may not, be in dire need of reform. In a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing Wednesday on the bipartisan STRONGER Patents Act, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) stressed the need to undo the precedent set by the Supreme Court's 13-year-old eBay decision that weakened injunctive relief in infringement cases and to resolve some of the unintended consequences of the 2011 America Invents Act (AIA).

Whether it's mere political posturing or a genuine prescription to control U.S. drug prices, a Democratic plan taking shape in the House provides an idea of what direct government negotiation might look like.

BEIJING – The ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China has helped put the biotechnology field on the U.S. foreign investment restriction list, causing a chilling effect on the market.

BEIJING – China's position as a global power in active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) could be jeopardized by the ongoing and worsening trade war with the U.S. Perhaps more worrisome for the pharma industry, any disruption to Chinese supply chains could have a serious impact on drug manufacturing and accessibility globally.