Week of October 28, 2024

Each week we highlight five things affecting the life sciences industry. Here’s the latest.

• The UK government has introduced new regulations for post-market surveillance of medical devices, aiming to enhance patient safety and device performance monitoring, reports Med-Tech News.
• These regulations will require manufacturers to collect and analyze data on device performance and safety after they have been placed on the market.

• Kenneth Getz, a pharmaceutical management expert, attributes the recent wave of pharma layoffs to patent cliffs and economic uncertainties, which includes outcomes from the upcoming US election.
• Per Pharmaceutical Technology, geopolitical events and economic fluctuations have significantly impacted the pharmaceutical industry, leading to layoffs across both large pharma companies and smaller biotechs.

• Baxter International has decided to exit the Chinese intravenous fluids market because of local competition and a need to redirect supplies to the U.S., reports Fierce Pharma.
• The decision follows a disruption at Baxter’s North Carolina facility caused by Hurricane Helene, which has led to a shortage of IV fluids in the U.S.

• BioSpace reports that large venture capital (VC) firms are raising billions to fund the next generation of biotech companies, focusing mainly on clinical-stage companies with proven executives and data.
• Smaller VC firms are stepping in to fund early-stage, less known companies that could become industry leaders.

• Spatial transcriptomics is revolutionizing the way researchers map gene expression in tumor and brain samples, providing insights that could change disease treatment, according to Labiotech.
• This technology combines the spatial information of in situ hybridization with the detail of transcriptomics, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of cellular environment.