The Medical Industry Briefing

The latest news, approvals and clinical trials you need to know about this month

Data: News in Numbers

£65 million

The UK Government has pledged an additional £65m of funding for battery development, advanced medical treatments and robotics technology.

The Great North Air Ambulance in the UK has tested a jet suit for paramedics that could cut the time it takes to reach patients at the top of a fell from 30 minutes to 90 seconds.

12 million

The NHS Covid-19 app has surpassed 12 million downloads, according to UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock

Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a low-cost hearing aid using components that in total cost less than $1.

$60m

BD is set to pay $60m to settle Bard pelvic mesh lawsuits with 48 US states

Elon Musk demonstrated a Neuralink brain implant in a live pig

Elon Musk has showed off his company Neuralink’s brain-computer interface for the first time. In an announcement on 28 August, Neuralink unveiled prototypes of its device and showed off pigs that had had the devices implanted in their brains.

Source: New Scientist

FDA publishes labelling guidelines for breast implants

The US FDA has issued breast implant labeling guidance to help ensure that patients receive and understand the benefits and risks of these devices.

Source: FDA

‘Testing hell’: gift of devices to nursing homes brings new problems

The federal government sent free rapid-test machines to 14,000 facilities. But they have come with unexpected costs, cumbersome reporting rules and questions about accuracy.

Source: New York Times

UK spent £569m on 20,900 ventilators but most remain unused

The UK Government spent £569m buying 20,900 ventilators to keep people alive during the Covid-19 pandemic, but lack of demand means NHS hospitals have used just a few of them.

Source: The Guardian