The COVID-19 pandemic drove a large volume of in vitro diagnostic test efforts toward the SARS-CoV-2 virus, such as the Biofire respiratory panel by Biofire Diagnostics LLC, of Salt Lake City, a test for which the U.S. FDA released the special controls.

Privacy legislation was passed and implemented in the European Union, but the picture in the U.S. is pockmarked by state legislation, a scenario that raises concerns about a fractured and impracticable compliance regime.

Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s and Astrazeneca plc’s implementation of a $35 monthly U.S. price cap on inhalers for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is adding to the pressure on Prasco Laboratories and GSK plc to follow suit with the pricing of an authorized generic of GSK’s Flovent (fluticasone propionate) inhaler.

Stereotaxis Inc. Genesisx received the greenlight from the EU authorities for its next generation robotic system, which it says builds on the benefits and performance of the previous Genesis while greatly reducing its barriers to adoption.

Device makers and physicians alike were less than enthused about several features of the draft Medicare inpatient rule for fiscal year 2025, but thanks in part to support from the device industry, the final rule provides a new code that encompasses both left atrial appendage closure and ablation, a change that may reduce spending without dinging sales of these devices.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reinstated patent claims covering Allergan USA Inc.'s bowel treatment drug Viberzi (eluxadoline), reversing a lower court that had invalidated the claims for not meeting obviousness-type double patenting or written description requirements. However, the appellate court said the district court “can, and should, address any other grounds of invalidity raised … at trial that are adequately supported by the record.”

The U.S. FDA has made clear its expectations of batteries and accessories for automated external defibrillators, but at least one maker of replacement AED batteries seems to have not got the message.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s rulings on ethylene oxide emissions have drawn the ire of the device industry, but the chemical industry has weighed in as well.

The U.S. FDA warning letter to Globus Medical Inc., highlights some long-running concerns at the agency about medical device reporting practices, but the agency was keen to point to a problem with the company’s complaint trending practices.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health sponsored a study that was designed to establish whether there are any biomarkers that are strongly associated with the constellation of symptoms known as long COVID, but the study shed little light on the question.