Recent U.S. FDA actions could transform decades of prostate cancer care. Two companies focused on prostate cancer received good news from the FDA for their artificial intelligence (AI)-driven software. Bot Image Inc. gained FDA clearance for its medical device computer-aided detection and diagnostic tool, Prostatid. The agency also provided FDA investigational device exemption for Avenda Health Inc.’s Focalpoint ablation system that enables more accurate mapping of a patient’s prostate cancer for better surgical results.

The FDA granted Cardialen Inc. an investigational device exemption (IDE) to begin a clinical trial of its Multipulse Therapy (MPT) to treat paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). MPT is a low-energy electrical pulse therapy aimed at restoring abnormally rapid heart rates, such as AF, to a regular rhythm to reduce the potential for high-energy shocks. Studies have shown that almost 1 in 4 patients experience anxiety or depression after receiving an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

The FDA unveiled a draft guidance addressing the responsibilities of clinical investigators for safety reporting for investigational drugs and devices, a novel attempt to combine the disparate adverse event reporting timelines for investigational drugs and devices.