Trying To Quit Smoking In England? Your Doctor May Prescribe E-Cigarettes
In the U.S., the future of vaping and e-cigarettes is under official review, but reports say England may be the first country to actually prescribe e-cigarettes to people trying to quit regular cigarette smoking. AI in medical devices and the $23 billion cost to fight covid globally are also reported.
Bloomberg:
England May Become First Country To Prescribe E-Cigarettes
England could become the first country in the world to prescribe e-cigarettes to people who want to quit smoking, which would be a boon for an industry that is facing regulatory pressure in the U.S. Makers of e-cigarettes can submit their products to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and undergo the same approval process as other medicines available on the NHS, the government said Friday. (Gretler, 10/29)
In other global news —
Modern Healthcare:
FDA Releases Joint AI Medical Device Guidance With Canada, U.K.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and its counterparts in Canada and the United Kingdom issued joint guidelines for companies creating medical devices that use artificial intelligence on Wednesday. The 10 "guiding principles" from the FDA, Health Canada and the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency applying expertise from multiple disciplines throughout product development and testing AI devices on data that's representative of the intended patient population. The trilateral regulatory framework seeks to establish a foundation for safe and effective use of AI and machine learning in medical devices that organizations such as the International Medical Device Regulators Forum can build upon. (Kim Cohen, 10/28)
Bloomberg:
WHO Says $23 Billion Needed To Expand Access, Fight Covid-19
The World Health Organization said $23.4 billion is needed to help provide access to Covid-19 vaccines, treatments and tests in low- and middle-income countries. The organization gave the estimate for the needs of its ACT-Accelerator plan through September 2022. The WHO has set a target to vaccinate at least 40% of people in every country by the end of the year with the help of Covax, the facility aimed at making inoculations available worldwide, after falling short of previous goals. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called on rich countries to step up their support of poorer ones in order to accelerate the end of the pandemic. (Mulier, 10/28)
