FDA recently announced that it will host a public workshop on August 6, 2024 focused on “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Drug & Biological Product Development.” Aimed at bringing drug sponsors and AI experts together, the workshop, hosted in collaboration with the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative, will feature presentations and a
Continue Reading FDA Announces Workshop on AI Used In Drug & Biological Product DevelopmentFTC Issues Final Rule to Expand Scope of the Health Breach Notification Rule
On Friday, April 26, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) voted 3-2 to issue a final rule (the “final rule”) that expands the scope of the Health Breach Notification Rule (“HBNR”) to apply to health apps and similar technologies and broadens what constitutes a breach of security, among other updates. We previously covered the proposed rule, which was issued on May 18, 2023.Continue Reading FTC Issues Final Rule to Expand Scope of the Health Breach Notification Rule
MHRA Outlines New Strategic Approach to Artificial Intelligence
On April 30, 2024, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) outlined its strategic approach (“Approach”) to artificial intelligence (“AI”). The Approach is a response to the UK Government’s white paper: a pro-innovation approach to AI regulation and subsequent Secretary of State letter of 1 February 2024, and is the culmination of 12 months’ work by the MHRA to ensure the risks of AI are appropriately balanced with the potential transformative impact of AI in healthcare.
AI in Healthcare
AI has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare sector and improve health outcomes at every stage of healthcare provision – from preventative care through to diagnosis and treatment. AI can help in research and development by strengthening outcomes of clinical trials, as well as being used to improve the clinical care of patients by personalizing care, improving diagnosis and treatment, enhancing the delivery of care and health system efficiency, and supplementing healthcare professionals’ knowledge, skills and competencies. Continue Reading MHRA Outlines New Strategic Approach to Artificial Intelligence
EHDS Series – 5: European Health Data Space Governance, Enforcement and Timelines
In March 2024, the EU lawmakers reached agreement on the European Health Data Space (EHDS). Although the text has not yet been formally adopted by all the European institutions, a number of interesting points can already be highlighted. This article focuses on the governance and enforcement of the EHDS; for an overview of the EHDS generally, see our first post in this series.
The final text of the EHDS was adopted by the European Parliament on 24 April 2024 and is expected to be formally adopted by the European Council in the coming months.Continue Reading EHDS Series – 5: European Health Data Space Governance, Enforcement and Timelines
EHDS Series – 4: The European Health Data Space’s Implications for “Wellness Applications” and Medical Devices
In early March 2024, the EU lawmakers reached agreement on the European Health Data Space (EHDS). For now, we only have a work-in-progress draft version of the text, but a number of interesting points can already be highlighted. This article focuses on the implications for “wellness applications” and medical devices; for an overview of the EHDS generally, see our first post in this series.
The final text of the EHDS was adopted by the European Parliament on 24 April 2024 and is expected to be formally adopted by the European Council in the coming months.Continue Reading EHDS Series – 4: The European Health Data Space’s Implications for “Wellness Applications” and Medical Devices
FDA Medical Product Centers Continue Focus on AI
On March 15, 2024, FDA’s medical product centers – CBER, CDER, and CDRH – along with the Office of Combination Products (OCP) published a paper outlining their key areas of focus for the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) across the medical product life cycle. The paper, entitled “
Continue Reading FDA Medical Product Centers Continue Focus on AI
UK Government Outlines New Action to Tackle Biases in Medical Devices
On March 11, 2024, the UK Government published its response (“Government Response”) to an independent review on equity in medical devices commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care (“Review”). The Government Response is not guidance nor policy rather it is intended to act as an action plan for tackling potential bias in the design and use of medical devices. The Government Response fully accepts, and in turn makes a series of commitments in response to, the findings of the Review (which is broken down into 18 recommendations, 51 sub-recommendations, and 3 further calls to action). Importantly, the Government “wholeheartedly agrees…that medical technology should be unbiased and equitable.”
Bias in the medical device space, and within healthcare more broadly is (quite rightly) a topic of growing importance to governments, regulators and industry alike. We set out some key points of interest from both the Review and the Government Response below. We look forward to seeing more developments and guidance in this area going forwards given its significance to patients and the delivery of healthcare. Continue Reading UK Government Outlines New Action to Tackle Biases in Medical Devices
Senator Cassidy Issues White Paper with Proposals to Update Health Data Privacy Framework – Part 2: Safeguarding Health Data Not Covered by HIPAA
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (“HELP”) Committee, published on February 21, 2024, a white paper with various proposals to update privacy protections for health data. In Part 1 of this blog series (see here), we discussed the first section of Senator Cassidy’s February 21, 2024, white paper. Specifically, we summarized Senator Cassidy’s proposals on how to update the existing framework of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as amended, and its implementing regulations (collectively, “HIPAA”) without disrupting decades of case law and precedent. In this blog post, we discuss the other sections of the white paper, namely proposals to protect other sources of health data not currently covered by HIPAA.Continue Reading Senator Cassidy Issues White Paper with Proposals to Update Health Data Privacy Framework – Part 2: Safeguarding Health Data Not Covered by HIPAA
Senator Cassidy Issues White Paper with Proposals to Update Health Data Privacy Framework – Part 1: Updates to the HIPAA Framework
On February 21, 2024, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (“HELP”) Committee, issued a white paper, “Strengthening Health Data Privacy for Americans: Addressing the Challenges of the Modern Era,” which proposes several updates to the privacy protections for health data. This follows Senator Cassidy’s September 2023 request for information from stakeholders about how to enhance health data privacy protections covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) framework and to consider privacy protections for other sources of health data not currently covered by HIPAA. The white paper notes that several entities, including trade associations, hospitals, health technology companies, and think tanks, responded to the RFI.Continue Reading Senator Cassidy Issues White Paper with Proposals to Update Health Data Privacy Framework – Part 1: Updates to the HIPAA Framework
Biden Administration Announces Artificial Intelligence Executive Order
Earlier today, the White House issued a Fact Sheet summarizing its Executive Order on a comprehensive strategy to support the development of safe and secure artificial intelligence (“AI”). The Executive Order follows a number of actions by the Biden Administration on AI, including its Blueprint for an AI Bill of
Continue Reading Biden Administration Announces Artificial Intelligence Executive Order