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.

Certain VCs are becoming reluctant to invest in medtech, citing difficulties such as a shrinking pool of buyers and increasing regulatory challenges. But Sofinnova Partners has successfully sold a medical device portfolio company – and one that is in a difficult field like renal denervation, no less – to a Japanese buyer. Antoine Papiernik, managing partner at the French VC, explains how persevering with a renal denervation technology paid-off and gives his perspective on whether medtech is still a space worth investing in.

Medtronic looks to be back on track with its renal denervation plans, after announcing its Symplicity Spyral system got off to a good start with positive six-month results in the SPYRAL HTN-ON MED pilot study. The data, presented at EuroPCR 2018 in Paris, showed that Symplicity Spyral was able to reduce blood pressure significantly in hypertensive patients prescribed anti-hypertension medications, with no major adverse safety events out to six months.