New US FDA analysis of paclitaxel-coated devices to treat peripheral arterial disease matches previous reports of an increased death risk tied to use of the devices. The agency is encouraging providers to look to other treatment options while analysis continues.

Device-makers will have to take a more proactive approach to understanding the safety of biomaterials they use for their implanted devices, and how these materials might affect patients during post-market use, industry attorney Michele Buenafe of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP told Medtech Insight in a March 18 interview.

Two makers of breast implants failed to comply with years-old FDA post-approval study orders, and TEI Biosciences Inc. – an Integra LifeSciences company – ran afoul of the US agency's Quality System Regulation in device-related warning letters released by FDA this week.

Hong Kong has issued new guidance and an updated code of conduct on the roles and responsibilities of entities wanting to be listed as a local responsible person.

Maintaining barrier-free trade with the EU will save time and money, according to the Swiss medtech industry, which has made its views clear in a recent survey run by Swiss Medtech.

A snapshot of global medical device approvals captured during the past week in Medtech Insight's Approvals Tracker. This week, FDA approved Bard’s Venovo venous stent system for symptomatic iliofemoral venous outflow obstruction, FDA added functional mitral regurgitation to the approved labeling for Abbott’s market-leading MitraClip, and Watchman FLX, Boston Scientific’s next-generation left-atrial appendage closer earned a CE Mark in Europe.

Two makers of breast implants failed to comply with years-old FDA post-approval study orders, and TEI Biosciences Inc. – an Integra LifeSciences company – ran afoul of the US agency's Quality System Regulation in device-related warning letters released by FDA this week.

The US agency is approving 30-day change notices at a breakneck pace for device-makers enrolled in an ongoing program that measures manufacturing maturity and quality using an industry-modified version of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) framework. FDA also says it has waived 40 routine and four pre-approval inspections as part of the program – a help not only to device firms, but to the agency as it considers where best to use its scarce inspectional resources.

The US agency sent a letter to health-care providers spotlighting its analysis of the increasing numbers of adverse events linked to surgical staplers and implantable staples, and its plans for a draft guidance on labeling and an advisory panel meeting to consider a 510(k) requirement for the products.

In this week's Results Recap, covering trial data from the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, March 16-18, Martin Leon from Columbia University presented results from the PARTNER 3 trial, comparing Edwards Lifesciences Corp.'s balloon-expandable Sapien 3 transcatheter aortic valve system to open valve surgery. See what Martin Leon from Columbia University said about it here.

In this week's Results Recap covering trial data from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Las Vegas March 12-16, Myoscience released encouraging preliminary results from a 125-patient study on its Iovera cryoanalgesia therapy. See what the presenter of the results, William Mihalko, from Campbell Clinic of Germantown, Tennessee, said about it here.

A snapshot of global medical device approvals captured during the past week in Medtech Insight's Approvals Tracker. This week, FDA approved Bard’s Venovo venous stent system for symptomatic iliofemoral venous outflow obstruction, FDA added functional mitral regurgitation to the approved labeling for Abbott’s market-leading MitraClip, and Watchman FLX, Boston Scientific’s next-generation left-atrial appendage closer earned a CE Mark in Europe.

Data from the AF-FICIENT I study, presented at the European Heart Rhythm Association in Lisbon, Portugal, support Boston Scientific's development of the Luminize atrial fibrillation ablation catheter. Luminize has built-in digital cameras for visual guidance and sensing electrodes on the balloon to assess real-time vein isolation.

Starts & Stops compiles all the clinical trial announcements, initiations, completions and suspensions tracked by Meddevicetracker. This edition covers trial announcements from March 4 through March 17, including trial announcements from CardioFocus, Innovative Cardiovascular Solutions, IntraLink-Spine, Geneveve, Acutus, and Stereotaxis.

Cardiva Medical believes it's in a unique position to help the growing number of patients who undergo catheter-based cardiovascular procedures requiring relatively large catheters, especially electrophysiology procedures like cardiac ablation. See what Cardiva CEO John Russell said about EP procedures here.

In this week's Results Recap, covering trial data from the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, March 16-18, Martin Leon from Columbia University presented results from the PARTNER 3 trial, comparing Edwards Lifesciences Corp.'s balloon-expandable Sapien 3 transcatheter aortic valve system to open valve surgery. See what Martin Leon from Columbia University said about it here.

In this week's Results Recap covering trial data from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Las Vegas March 12-16, Myoscience released encouraging preliminary results from a 125-patient study on its Iovera cryoanalgesia therapy. See what the presenter of the results, William Mihalko, from Campbell Clinic of Germantown, Tennessee, said about it here.

Medtech Insight's Results Recap is a regular feature covering the major device trial results compiled by MedDeviceTracker. This is the first of three special Results Recaps covering trial data presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, March 16-18, including presentations on Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences’ transcatheter aortic valves and Apple’s Apple Watch, which now has electrocardiography capabilities.

Starts & Stops compiles all the clinical trial announcements, initiations, completions and suspensions tracked by Meddevicetracker. This edition covers trial announcements from March 4 through March 17, including trial announcements from CardioFocus, Innovative Cardiovascular Solutions, IntraLink-Spine, Geneveve, Acutus, and Stereotaxis.

Medtech Insight's Results Recap covers major device trial results appearing on MedDeviceTracker. This is a special edition covering trial data presented during the first three days of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Annual Meeting, held in Las Vegas March 12-16, including presentations on devices from Stryker, Miach, Myoscience, CyMedica, and Reflexion Health.

Makers of next-generation sequencing tests often have a hard time finding somatic reference samples to use when developing their products. To help sponsors find those samples, the Medical Device Innovation Consortium with help from US FDA has developed a guide that aggregates reference samples to help validate their tests.