HONG KONG – India’s central government has finally placed most med-tech devices into the category of ‘drugs,’ subjecting them to control under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

The response from industry regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) draft rule for ethylene oxide (EtO) varied considerably, but the Advanced Medical Technology Association (Advamed) argued a fundamental methodological point in its comments to the docket. Advamed’s Ruey Dempsey said the EPA approach to determining safe levels of EtO relies on “a single epidemiological study,” an approach Dempsey said has drawn fire from the National Academies of Science.

Acutus Medical Inc. is working to build itself into a major competitor in cardiac electrophysiology. The latest step to do so is an FDA clearance for its second-generation cardiac mapping software known as Supermap. This works in conjunction with its next-gen Acqmap 3D Imaging and Mapping System. The Carlsbad, Calif.-based startup, which was founded in 2011, is now marketing these in both the U.S. and Europe, where Supermap received a CE mark in October 2019.

Fisher Wallace Laboratories of New York has filed a citizen’s petition with the U.S. FDA regarding the agency’s proposed class III designation for cranial electrotherapy stimulators (CES) for treatment of depression. The company argued that the agency disallowed evidence at an advisory hearing regarding this therapy provided by direct rather than alternating current, but also that the FDA had reneged on an earlier decision to classify these devices as class II devices.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar was peppered with questions about the Trump administration’s budget proposal for fiscal 2021 during a Feb. 13 Senate hearing. However, another theme that resonated during the hearing was Senate legislation addressing drug prices. Azar addressed the issue of price caps, while noting that the bill “leaves plenty of room” for both ample profit margins and innovation in drug development.