Devices

Organ Preservation Device Animal Study Guidance

FDA has issued a final guidance, Utilizing Animal Studies to Evaluate Organ Preservation Devices, to provide recommendations on best practices for using animal studies to evaluate organ preservation devices. The document says the agency recommends balancing the ethical principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement as well as regulatory least burdensome principles, with the goal of using the minimum number of animals necessary to generate data to demonstrate device safety.

“You should consider the best practices for the development, conduct, and presentation of these animal studies, while incorporating modern animal care and use strategies,” the agency says. “FDA recognizes that best practices for conducting animal studies to evaluate organ preservation devices are evolving with the rapid advancements in such technologies. This guidance is not intended to be comprehensive or prescriptive. Instead, it aims to highlight FDA’s initial thoughts on how animal transplant models can be utilized to evaluate organ preservation technologies, with careful considerations of regulatory least burdensome principles.”

Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton’s responses on vaccines, contraception and abortion medication during her 9/24 Senate confirmation hearing raise concerns that ideology could influence her decision-making if she takes over the agency, MSNBC senior medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta said Friday. Gupta was particularly critical of Overton’

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton emerged from her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday (see earlier story) without resolving questions about whether she has enough Republican support to advance — and with a rapidly narrowing window for confirmation before the midterm elections. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing provided few

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA has classified Boston Scientific's recall of its Imager II Angiographic Catheters as Class I because a manufacturing problem could cause catheter tips to degrade and detach, potentially resulting in life-threatening complications. The agency announced the Class I classification 9/25, updating an Early Alert it issued

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

FDA has approved Roche’s Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for reducing the risk of relapse in adults and children aged 2 and older with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent, childhood-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who are in remission. The expanded approval covers the use of the CD20-directed antibody beyond its existing

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Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome