An early look at the results of post-market studies that had been ordered by US FDA for duodenoscopes highlights ongoing sterilization issues.

The US Solicitor General is advising the Supreme Court not to hear a suit challenging whether a False Claims Act suit can be brought if the government knows about the alleged misbehavior and continues to pay for the relevant products or services.

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists started publishing the findings of its "Implant Files" investigation last month, but the two main industry groups in the US have not picked up any significant political backlash resulting from the reporting so far.

The global investigative journalism spotlight on the medtech space had major impact at the end of November and now underlie discussions of FDA reforms, even if the agency was already working on them. Meanwhile, there was a US midterm election in November. Here's the most popular US regulation and policy stories from last month.

The medtech industry has been lobbying the US Congress hard to approve a permanent repeal of the device tax this year, but with passage of another continuing resolution bill Thursday, legislators have left themselves just two more weeks in 2018 – until Dec. 21 – to finish up a must-pass spending bill for 2019 that could serve as a vehicle for repeal of the tax.

Stakeholders can still fill out a survey that asks for feedback on potential plans to retool international quality systems standard ISO 13485. The deadline for the survey was extended so the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) committee that oversees revisions to ISO 13485 can make a stronger case against opening it up for a rewrite.

This is Compliance 360°, a podcast series from Medtech Insight on US FDA compliance and enforcement issues. In this fourteenth installment, former FDA investigations branch director Ricki Chase explains how device-makers can leverage publicly available data from the agency to determine where they might fall short when it comes to complying with FDA rules and regulations.

Good news for the medical device industry: After two record-setting quarters, the number of recalled products and device units fell in the third quarter of 2018. Yet device-makers are still having problems with software, which was the leading cause of recalls in Q3. Check out our Q3 recalls infographic.

WhiteSwell has received $30m in financing to support development of a catheter-based device for treating acute decompensated heart failure. The investment round was led by RA Capital Management and an InCube Ventures syndicate, with participation from other investors.

Medical equipment and technology systems-maker Hill-Rom Holdings taps a former Mallinckrodt financial executive as its new chief financial officer, while promoting new VPs in Front Line Care and Strategy and Investor Relations. More personnel moves from around the medtech industry.

Novartis subsidiary Sandoz will lead the US launch of Pear Therapeutics' reSET-O prescription-grade mobile app for opioid use disorder in the coming days following US FDA go-ahead.

The global blood glucose monitoring devices market is expected to exceed $7bn by 2022, driven in large part by the fastest-growing continuous glucose monitoring segment. Sales of the much larger blood glucose meter segment, meanwhile, are expected to drop to $3.7bn in 2022 from nearly $5bn in 2017 amid rising competition from lower-cost manufacturers and tech giants entering this space. But the major blood glucose meter makers are also reinventing themselves by offering smarter technologies. See what David Ahn, an endocrinologist and program director at the Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center at the Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California said about the issue here.

FDA is looking forward to reviewing PMAs from several anti-hypertension devices in the coming years – including technologies from Medtronic, ReCor Medical, ROX Medical, and Vascular Dynamics – so the agency convened its Circulatory System Devices Panel on Dec. 5 to get recommendation on pre-market clinical trial design, post-approval study design, indications and labeling for such devices.

The global blood glucose monitoring devices market is expected to exceed $7bn by 2022, driven by the smaller, but fastest-growing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) segment, which is expanding at double-digits. The much bigger blood glucose meter (BGM) segment, meanwhile, is facing increased competition from lower-cost manufacturers, innovative startups and tech giants like Apple that are attracting consumers with smart devices and packaged diabetes management solutions. This first of a two-part series looks more closely at the competitive landscape of the two major product segments – BGM and CGM – with insights from endocrinologists. The second part will focus on the pros and cons of using diabetes management apps and highlights the best diabetes apps.

A snapshot of global medical device approvals captured during the past week in Medtech Insight's Approvals Tracker. Newly added devices include an endobronchial valve for emphysema approved in the US and an autologous cell therapy for urinary incontinence approved in Japan.

Results Recap is Medtech Insight's exclusive summary of clinical trial results that have been announced or published in the past week, based on information collected by Meddevicetracker. This week's edition, covering the week of Nov. 30 – Dec. 6, includes results of a retrospective post-hoc sub-group analysis of the EF-14 phase III pivotal trial of Novocare's Optune system in newly diagnosed glioblastoma, one-year data from a study of Vieve Medical's Geneveve treatment of mild-to-moderate stress urinary incontinence, and complete results from the Long-Term Treatment Study of NeuroPace's RNS system to treat epileptic seizures.

FDA is looking forward to reviewing PMAs from several anti-hypertension devices in the coming years – including technologies from Medtronic, ReCor Medical, ROX Medical, and Vascular Dynamics – so the agency convened its Circulatory System Devices Panel on Dec. 5 to get recommendation on pre-market clinical trial design, post-approval study design, indications and labeling for such devices.

A snapshot of global medical device approvals captured during the past week in Medtech Insight's Approvals Tracker. Newly added devices include a new LimaCorporate should component, US approval of the Incraft aneurysm stent graft and a first-in-class newborn-screening diagnostic.

In this edition of Device Week, Medtech Insight managing editor Marion Webb discusses the ongoing research that could lead to 3D-printing of human replacement organs and reporter Catherine Longworth highlights the developments in “femtech,” medical technology primarily or exclusively for female patients.

A snapshot of global medical device approvals captured during the past week in Medtech Insight's Approvals Tracker. A electrical stimulator for GI disease is among devices that made the list this week. Also, a drought in original PMAs and panel-track supplements in the US.