Medtech industry group AdvaMed has developed a registry to share data on how many COVID-19 diagnostic tests are available and where they are, with a goal of foreseeing and nipping in the bud potential test shortages. Thirteen diagnostic manufacturers – including Abbott, Roche, Siemens and Thermo Fisher Scientific – have partnered with AdvaMed on the initiative.

The overall transdermal patch market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.4% by 2024. Patches to treat neurological disorders will see the fastest growth while pain-management patches will see the most sales.

The future for glucokinase activation is looking brighter after fresh data on vTv’s oral adjunct to insulin therapy in type 1 diabetes.

Bluebird bio’s gene therapy Zynteglo, Akcea’s antisense drug Waylivra and BioMarin’s enzyme substitution therapy Palynziq were among the novel innovative medicines that were approved in Europe in 2019.