Bradley Merrill Thompson, a Member of the Firm in the Health Care and Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, was quoted in CNBC, in “We Now Know That Apple, Alphabet and Samsung Are Making Long-Term Bets on Health Care,” by Christina Farr.
Following is an excerpt:
Some of the world’s most valuable technology companies are moving into the regulated medical sector. And now they have found an important ally from within the federal government.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week said that it will work with nine companies — including Alphabet, Apple, Fitbit and Samsung — to make it easier to fast-track medical software that is deemed to be of low risk through the regulatory approval process. The program is known as the “precertification pilot.” …
Regulatory experts say that the participation of these tech companies in the pilot program suggests that health is a priority, rather than a temporary fascination. “There’s no point in doing this for one product,” said Bradley Merrill Thompson, an FDA specialist with the law firm Epstein Becker & Green.
It makes sense to get involved, he said, for companies that intend to be in it for the long term. “That’s apparently where these companies see themselves,” Thompson added.