Market Intelligence

The digital health market includes thousands of app-based solutions targeting single health conditions, but the cost, complexity and number of options “gives too many opportunities to health care systems to say no,” said Mike Trenell, Daiser CEO. The second generation of digital health might have the answers, he said.

Hologic attains full US Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for its Aptima SARS-CoV-2 assay, which reached market under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Overall, Hologic’s “best-performing” molecular diagnostic business continues to grow despite the decline in revenue for COVID-19 assays and related items.

Researchers from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Center are testing Digostics’ GTT@home test in children to assess if it offers a better alternative to the clinical gold-standard oral glucose tolerance test.

Boston Scientific has integrated cardiac mapping and pulsed field ablation into a single catheter with the newly EU-approved Farawave Nav Ablation Catheter. Faraview Software also receives CE marking, allowing for visualization of catheter placement when delivering therapy.

France-based Germitec aims to double its yearly revenue by expanding its UV-C disinfection technology for endocavitary ultrasound probes into the US market.

PathAI, a Boston-based AI-pathology startup backed by $355m, partners with Brazil’s largest integrated healthcare network to support diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients using its AISight image management system.

Volta Medical’s TAILORED-AF clinical trial demonstrates that AI can achieve "superior efficacy" in interventional cardiology. The study examined the use of AI-driven Volta AF-Xplorer in addition to pulmonary vein isolation in treating patient with persistent atrial fibrillation.

Glucotrack is a step closer to marketing its implantable continuous blood glucose monitor, which met primary safety endpoints in its first human trial and is pitched as a potential alternative to existing CGM systems.

Oxford BioDynamics' blood-based colorectal cancer diagnostic test EpiSwitch NST has shown high accuracy (81-85%) and positive predictive values (57-87%) for colorectal cancer and polyps. By reducing false positives, the test could minimize unnecessary follow-up procedures.

Precision medicine startup LinusBio launches its breakthrough diagnostic aid across 44 US states. The laboratory test aims to support earlier diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and can be ordered by health care providers.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) draft guidance limits tissue biopsy collection in clinical trials to primary endpoints and specific research use cases. However, Andrew Newland, CEO of circulating tumor cell (CTC) liquid biopsy firm Angle Plc, believes that the guidance could enhance the market for liquid biopsy makers.

The UK's established emergency care prehospital system potentially opens up a faster route to market for Front Line Medical Technologies's aortic occlusion device, COBRA-OS. Asha Parekh, Front Line CEO, talks to Medtech Insight about the company's different strategic approach to UK market access in comparison to North America.

Seven new Centers of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation have been funded by the UK with a brief to investigate smart regulation of AI and digital health innovations, among other areas. Medtech Insight asked Alastair Denniston, leader of the CERSI in AI and Digital Health Technologies, to explain the significance and the goals of his center.

Quibim announces $50m in an oversubscribed series A funding round. Quibim CEO Ángel Alberich-Bayarri discusses his plans for the new financing and the company’s competitive edge in training AI with multimodal data.

Boston Scientific's Farapulse Pulsed Field Ablation System achieved safety and effectiveness endpoints in the ADVANTAGE AF clinical trial for the treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation, supporting “the paradigm shift to pulse-field ablation,” said Vivek Reddy, director of electrophysiology at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital.

Guardant Health seeks to bring genomic cancer disease data into a clinical context in a new collaboration with ConcertAI aimed at designing cancer therapeutics and clinical trials, Amar Das, VP of real world evidence at Guardant Health, told Medtech Insight.

"Medtronic's device is the only DBS with adaptive capability," Amaza Reitmeier, vice president and general manager of Brain Modulation at Medtronic, told Medtech Insight. Two new BrainSense features work together to provide personalized brain stimulation for patients with Parkinson's disease.

While the UK’s new plan to unlock public health data is a good start, complete, accessible data and regional computational infrastructure are needed to properly train AI for healthcare innovation, AI expert Muhammad Bilal tells Medtech Insight.

AI diagnostic biotech startup Owkin says AI adoption in digital pathology is slower than in radiology. In a new report, it identifies reimbursement structures and lack of funding and operational resources as barriers to faster adoption.

Scotland has a strong foundation of medtech research, but to reach the ‘tipping point’ where it has gained critical startup mass, it must overcome funding challenges and foster corporate startup partnerships.