FDA user-fee bill goes to House; Senate committee draft revamps diagnostic regulations

The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed a bill to reauthorize the FDA’s user-fee amendments for the next five years. A Senate committee draft of the bill would add substantive changes.

By Elise Reuter • May 19, 2022

LabCorp becomes first company to get EUA for direct-to-consumer test for flu, RSV, COVID-19

The kit allows individuals to self-collect nasal swab samples at home to send to LabCorp, which will test for the presence of influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus and SARS-CoV-2.

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 18, 2022

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Medical device safety in spotlight after high profile recalls

From Philips’ massive recall of respiratory devices to ongoing health risks with breast implants, medical devices tied to patient harm have put a focus on product safety.

By MedTech Dive staff

Avanos Medical recall gets Class I label from FDA following patient injury, death reports

The company reported in a recall notice that there have been 60 injuries and 23 patient deaths associated with the Avanos Medical Cortrak 2 Enteral Access System since 2015, according to the FDA.

By Ricky Zipp • May 17, 2022

FDA posts Class I recall report for 51,000 rapid antigen COVID-19 tests

Woodside Acquisitions recalled two different rapid antigen test kits last month and sent emails to distributors requesting them to immediately return all unused products for a refund.

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 16, 2022

Dexcom, Insulet, Tandem start 2022 with revenue growth after weathering omicron surge

All three diabetes technology companies reported that omicron pressured business in January before easing as the quarter progressed.

By Ricky Zipp • May 13, 2022

FDA needs testing enforcement discretion policy to improve crisis response, GAO finds

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has recommended that the FDA develop a policy about when to start and stop enforcement discretion for unauthorized tests to avoid some of the problems it faced during the pandemic.

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 13, 2022

Hospital labor expenses up 37% from pre-pandemic levels in March

Medtech companies including Edwards Lifesciences and Zimmer Biomet expect pressure from hospital staffing shortages to continue through 2022. They're also monitoring if tightening finances will affect system placements. 

By Hailey Mensik • May 12, 2022

House subcommittee debates device remanufacturing definition, sends user-fees bill to next stage

Members of the House Subcommittee on Health passed the user-fees bill by a vote of 30-0 Wednesday, sending the legislation to the full House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

By Elise Reuter • May 12, 2022

Hologic gets FDA approval to challenge Abbott, Roche in transplant testing market

The company plans to work toward approvals of transplant assays for other pathogens including the BK virus and Epstein-Barr virus to provide quantitative assessments of potential threats to patients.

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 12, 2022

Medtronic completes Intersect acquisition following FTC order

The Federal Trade Commission required Medtronic to divest a subsidiary of Intersect ENT to complete the deal. Medtronic announced the $1.1 billion acquisition last August.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Updated May 16, 2022

Dexcom Chief Tech Officer Leach discusses G7's European launch and FDA review, expanding Dexcom One

The executive also comments on the continuous glucose monitor maker's next steps for the G7 system as well as its plans for reaching new patients and expanding to non-diabetic users.

By Ricky Zipp • May 10, 2022

House user-fees bill details clinical trial diversity, cybersecurity requirements

The legislation would let the FDA bring in $1.78 billion in fee revenue from 2023 to 2027 to fund the review of medical devices. That amount could increase to $1.9 billion if the agency meets certain performance goals.

By Elise Reuter • May 10, 2022

FDA finalizes guidance on clinical feasibility studies of diabetic glycemic control devices

The recommendations come amid an increase in requests for feedback from developers of diabetes devices.

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 9, 2022

Insulet CEO Petrovic to step down on June 1 due to personal reasons; Hollingshead named sucesssor

Shacey Petrovic, who has served as CEO since 2019, is resigning in the first months of the Omnipod 5 launch, an anticipated product for the diabetes tech space. Jim Hollingshead, an Insulet board member since 2019, will take over.

By Ricky Zipp • May 6, 2022

EU task force posts guidance on significant IVDR changes to address a top priority for industry

The guidance will help manufacturers determine if a change to an in-vitro diagnostic is significant and will require certification by a notified body after the new regulations go into effect on May 26. 

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 6, 2022

FDA reveals another Class I COVID-19 test recall as SML pulls 209,000 kits from the market

The SML notice comes one week after the FDA shared details of a recall of 311,100 Celltrion tests that may have been sent to unauthorized users that lack CLIA certification.

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 5, 2022

FDA clears Abbott's 4-in-1 Alinity PCR test for sexually transmitted infections

Abbott is pitching the assay as a way for healthcare providers to gain a fuller picture of a person’s health from a single test and create the optimal treatment plan.

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 5, 2022

Biden should send 'clear' message to semiconductor industry on prioritizing medtech, AdvaMed says

The trade group said it's pushing for the prioritization of medtechs, transparency for future allocations to the industry, and actions to ensure the continuity of patient care in the U.S.

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 4, 2022

CDRH proposes requirement for Philips to submit recall plan for sleep-apnea, ventilator devices

The order would mean Philips would have to submit a plan to repair or replace the device or refund customers.

By Elise Reuter • May 3, 2022

CDRH's Shuren expects center to return to normal this year despite ongoing COVID work

Jeff Shuren, the director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, also stressed the need for increased cybersecurity and supply chain funding and authority during an event on April 29.

By Ricky Zipp • May 2, 2022

FDA labels Celltrion's latest recall of 310,000 COVID-19 tests as a Class I event

The recall stems from the fact that the emergency authorization of the Point of Care DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test only covers use by laboratories with CLIA certification.

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 2, 2022

Medtronic, FDA warn providers of HVAD pump malfunctions nearly 1 year after pulled from market

Medtronic said in a letter to healthcare providers that three patients had pumps exchanged due to malfunctions; two of them died following the swap outs.

By Ricky Zipp • April 29, 2022

Medtronic's Covidien has another Class I recall for PB980 ventilators

The event adds to Medtronic’s ongoing product safety issues. In January, CEO Geoff Martha said addressing recalls and patient safety were a “top priority.”

By Ricky Zipp • April 28, 2022

ACLA, AdvaMed urge Congress to immediately replenish COVID-19 testing fund

Joining a coalition of more than 60 organizations, the lab and medtech groups warned congressional leaders the funding expiration puts the most vulnerable Americans at risk of losing resources to diagnose new infections.

By Nick Paul Taylor • April 28, 2022

FDA comes under fire at Senate hearing for lack of MDUFA accountability, transparency

"The agency didn’t meet all its goals from the last time around. And now, the FDA wants double the money for mediocre performance improvements and, for certain devices, longer review times," said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.

By Greg Slabodkin • April 27, 2022