Renal Denervation Researcher Argues Sham Control Is Ethically Necessary
The lead investigator on the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial says sham-controlled trials are sometimes ethically necessary to prevent patients from undergoing ineffective treatments and warns there may be other medical devices on the market that are not as effective as previously thought.
Keep up with the top medtech business and regulatory news.
More from Clinical Trials
In this week’s Digital Health Roundup, Medtech Insight’s Ryan Nelson highlights Click Therapeutics’ FDA-cleared digital therapeutics (DTx) for depression and Sinaptica Therapeutics’ personalized neuromodulation for Alzheimer’s patients. Marion Webb discusses her interview with MindMaze’s John Krakauer on their gaming-focused DTx to help people recover from serious brain injuries. Elizabeth Orr introduces new voting members of the new Digital Health Advisory Committee and Natasha Barrow discusses Hello Heart’s new symptom-tracking feature in their heart-focused app.
Spain has one of the highest incarceration rates in Europe, with 160 individuals imprisoned per 100,000 residents. In 2020, 43,494 people were incarcerated in facilities not managed by regional health authorities — essentially all regions except Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Navarra.
TRiCares announced first implantation of the Topaz transfemoral tricuspid heart valve replacement system as part of the company’s EU pivotal study. If all goes to plan, the device will compete with Edwards’ Evoque system. The announcement follows the company’s $50m series D funding raise in July.
Tim Schmid, executive VP and worldwide chairman of J&J MedTech, expects Shockwave, acquired in April, and Abiomed, purchased in late 2022, to be “long-term gems” for the company. Cardiovascular is among higher-growth segments where J&J has concentrated investments in recent years, along with robotic surgical systems.
More from R&D
Biopharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has partnered with start-up “unicorn” Owkin to develop an AI-powered tool to prescreen for gBRCA mutations on the basis of morphological features in digitized pathology slides. Built on extensive, high-quality data sourced from the France-based PortrAIt consortium, the AI will help to prioritize patients for further testing, streamlining the diagnostic process, Owkin says.
An additional $50m brings the neurovascular intervention specialist’s total Series F funding to $82m. Route 92 says it will use the capital to build its sales and support teams and pursue regulatory authorizations around the globe for its FreeClimb portfolio while advancing its SUMMIT MAX clinical trial for the investigational Monopoint Reperfusion System.
TRiCares announced first implantation of the Topaz transfemoral tricuspid heart valve replacement system as part of the company’s EU pivotal study. If all goes to plan, the device will compete with Edwards’ Evoque system. The announcement follows the company’s $50m series D funding raise in July.