Senate Plans FDA User Fee Markup This Week; House Not Far Behind

Just a year and four months after publishing a final rule that would have allowed it to regulate laboratory developed tests as medical devices, the US FDA has rescinded the controversial measure, finally putting an end to the saga.

At an Aug. 4 public meeting on MDUFA VI, FDA officials, industry representatives, and patient advocates outlined their priorities for the next user fee agreement, highlighting goals such as improved transparency, streamlined reviews, enhanced safety measures, and greater patient involvement.

Pending legislation seeks to address what the sponsors argue is a lack of transparency in medical billing. If enacted, the bill would provide patients with the costs of procedures and medications before receiving them. A data collection expert discusses what the bill could mean for patients.

NHS England's national chief clinical information officer issued a cease and desist on unapproved ambient voice technology and AI scribes. The move caused confusion among AVT vendors and went beyond joint MHRA/NHS guidance. IMed consultant Ben Austin shares his perspective.