The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's (PTO) January guidance is credited with improving the patent examination process, but case law still rules the world outside the halls of the agency, a fact that suggests life science applicants draft their claims with an eye toward both the courts and the PTO.
Garwood Medical Devices LLC's biofilm disruption device, Bioprax, has received breakthrough device designation from the U.S. FDA. Bioprax turns metal implants into electrodes and uses low-voltage electricity to eliminate the bacteria associated with biofilm infections.
Dental devices would likely strike most observers as fairly simple items, but an FDA employee said on a recent webinar that these filings have a refuse-to-accept (RTA) rate in excess of 80%, suggesting sponsors have a lot of regulatory homework to do. The FDA finalized the RTA policy for 510(k) devices in September 2019, wrapping up a draft that originated in 2012, but which is on the second iteration.
CLEVELAND – Patents took center stage on the final morning of Cleveland Clinic's Medical Innovation Summit, with two experts shedding some light on the issues surrounding patentability – particularly in light of recent legal cases and a hearing before a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The U.S. FDA's draft guidance for labeling and patient information for breast implants addresses concerns over anaplastic large cell lymphoma, but the draft also recommends biennial examination via ultrasound or MRI after five years, a recommendation that could prove a boon to makers of these imaging systems.
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