Regulation
The US FDA has published its final document to guide sponsors on using sex-specific data in designing clinical trials of medical devices. However, the guidance removes all references to gender that appeared in January’s draft guidance, released before the Trump administration took office.
Calley Means defended reductions in force at the Health and Human Services Department that shocked and outraged federal workers and stakeholders.
A seemingly humorous social media post on April Fool’s Day struck a nerve with regulatory experts, reflecting real concerns about recent actions by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Mass FDA layoffs on 1 April were designed to spare product reviewers, but still touched many who are critical to the application review process or drug development, which could mean fewer treatments are brought to the US market first.
About 200 staff in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health were among the 3,500 FDA employees let go in today’s staff reductions. The cuts, which one employee described as a “Manhattan Project” to the center, are already having a major effect on staff morale.
AdvaMed’s top priorities for the 119th Congress include modernizing US Medicare services and expanding patients’ access to the latest medical technologies.
Cybersecurity, sustainability and regulatory intelligence all need factoring into risk management today as AI and data availability change the goalposts. Eight experts tell Medtech Insight how compliance efforts must adapt.
Pediatric devices and IVDs are to be a priority. And the European Health Data Space regulation is seen as critical in supporting digital technologies and AI in transforming care.
As deadlines approach, the regulatory landscape for medtech batteries is set to change, with an emphasis on sustainability and ethical practices.
The Doctor Patient Forum says the US FDA should regulate a scoring platform from Bamboo Health intended to help clinicians calculate risk for opioid abuse as a medical device to ensure patient safety.
EU medtech trade associations present detailed arguments for the European Commission’s 'targeted evaluation' of medtech regulations, highlighting the need for immediate course correction.
The New Civil Liberties Alliance, which represented a plaintiff in the lawsuit last summer that ended court deference to federal agencies, is asking for a stay on the consumer protection agency’s rule on infant support cushions. The law firm argues that CPSC wrongly used an expedited process to issue the rule.
Chaos continues at the FDA’s device center as reinstated staffers begin daily commutes to comply with the administration’s return to office policy. Staffers can no longer publicly share their pronouns per Trump’s “Defending Women” executive order.
Britain’s medtech system progress, smarter ways of working at the agency and getting smarter AI and digital technologies into circulation for patients, were themes woven through the UK MHRA board’s 18 March meeting.
The International Medical Device Regulators Forum discussed AI regulation, the development of a reliance playbook, and post-market regulation at the group's annual meeting in Tokyo last week. While the US FDA was not on-site, the agency was able to participate virtually.
The EHDS’ pivotal role in generating real-world evidence and capturing patient-reported outcomes will be a bonus for health technology assessment, especially in digital health.
Artificial intelligence could compromise patient safety if not properly governed, ECRI said in its new top 10 list of patient concerns for 2025. Other potential hazards include cybersecurity breaches, diagnostic errors, and misinformation.
Data recently published in The BMJ found that almost 30% of device adverse event reports filed with the US FDA are late or missing accurate date information. A relatively small number of companies account for more than half of the late reports.
Existing legislation already offers a route, albeit rarely used, for orphan and innovative devices to reach the market more quickly. It should be used more; manufacturers and notified bodies do not need to wait for official changes to the EU’s medtech regulations.
The European Commission has published a 44-page EHDS Q&A while industry has issued a joint paper emphasizing the importance of a stakeholder forum just as the EHDS Regulation is published and is due to enter into force.