After a rocky year, Akili Inc. received U.S. FDA clearance for use of its non-prescription product, Endeavorotc, for treatment of adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Endeavorotc employs a video game format to improve attention in individuals with inattentive or combined-type ADHD.
Inosys Korea Co. Ltd. gained U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for Unispace, a cervical spine cage manufactured with 3D printing technology. Unispace can be used during spinal fusion surgery, Busan-based Inosys said, wherein operators can remove a patient’s diseased or damaged disc and replace it with the cervical cage to maintain the original length of the spine.
The U.S. FDA cleared Basel, Switzerland-based Roche Holding AG’s whole-slide imaging system, the Roche Digital Pathology Dx, for use as an aid in clinical diagnosis. The system helps pathologists review and interpret digital images of scanned pathology slides.
With all the criticism the U.S. NIH has been getting of late, it’s not surprising that yet another reform proposal for the research agency is brewing in Congress. In unveiling a proposed framework to reform the NIH, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) recognized the critical role the agency plays in life-saving medical research and innovation.
Siemens Healthineers AG has received CE mark for a neurofilament light chain assay to help with the early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and aid in predicting the risk of relapse in patients suffering from the disease. The test developed in collaboration with Novartis Pharma AG will be launched in Europe later this year.
Elutia Inc. received U.S. FDA clearance for its antibiotic-eluting bioenvelope. Designed to prevent post-operative complications from the implantation of cardiac devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators, Elupro (formerly Cangaroo RM) combines slow release of the antibiotics rifampin and minocycline with a biomatrix that stimulates regeneration of a tissue pocket to surround and protect the device.
For the third time in as many years, Health Canada, the U.S. FDA and the UK Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency have teamed up to issue a set of recommendations for artificial intelligence used in or as a medical device.
Criticisms over the U.S. FDA’s use of advisory committees led the agency to hold a June 13 public hearing during which FDA commissioner Bob Califf said the agency is working to improve the experience of special government employees who take part in these hearings.
Just as it is for terminally ill cancer patients, time is of the essence for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, the clinical meaningfulness of Eli Lilly and Co.’s donanemab is the time it gives patients before the disease progresses, Reisa Sperling, a neurology professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told the U.S. FDA’s Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee June 10.
Aktiia SA recently received a CE mark for Calfree, its optical blood pressure monitoring technology that does not require calibration with a traditional cuff. The Calfree system can be integrated into a wide range of third-party devices, significantly improving hypertension management and as a result the quality of patients’ lives.