This week, the US FDA labelled several recalls class I, approved an at-home diagnostic for chlamydia and gonorrhea, and announced the expansion of its TAP pilot program. Guardant Health also announced it would appeal a verdict in a patent suit against the company and AdvaMed voiced its continued support for pending breakthrough device legislation.

Companies making blood-based cancer screening tests face a number of barriers to full market entry but getting a foothold of any kind can be the start of a path towards greater ultimate uptake.

At Digestive Disease Week, Celltrion will seek to strengthen its hold on the IBD market, Ironwood hopes to expand Linzess into pediatric functional constipation, and competitors will showcase competing short bowel syndrome treatment and colorectal cancer companion diagnostics.  

Quest Diagnostics will buy liquid biopsy start-up Haystack Oncology for a total of $450m with plans to launch a cancer-detection test in 2024.