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Just 3 Republicans in the US Senate averred from voting for Trump’s tax reform bill, including Maine Republican Susan Collins. Credit: Caleb James Fisher / Shutterstock

US President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) has narrowly passed after US Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 deadlock in the US Senate.

One of the bill’s most contentious aspects among Democratic senators and a minority of Republicans, are the bill’s cuts and amendments to Medicaid. According to the latest estimates by non-partisan think-thank the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill will cut Medicaid funding by almost $1trn over the next decade.

The CBO estimates that the spending cuts, which impact Medicaid eligibility, including tenets such as new work requirements for claimants, will leave 11.8 million people without health insurance by 2034, with this figure including an estimated 1.4 million people without verified citizenship, nationality, or satisfactory immigration status who would no longer be covered in state-only funded programmes by 2034. 

The European Commission (EC) will restrict Chinese companies from EU government purchases of medical devices exceeding €5m ($5.7m).

The move comes after a report found that 87% of public procurement contracts for medical devices in China were subject to “exclusionary and discriminatory measures” and practices against EU-made medical devices and EU suppliers.

In addition, Chinese entities will now be restricted from around 60% of annual spending within the medical device field, with EU contracting authorities now ordered to ensure that up to 50% of a contract’s value is subcontracted to Chinese entities or includes Chinese-origin medical devices.

Initiated in April 2024 with the findings published in January 2025, the report guiding the EU’s decision marked the first investigation under the EU’s International Procurement Instrument (IPI) regulation of 2022, a law created to promote reciprocity in access to international public procurement markets. 

AI-focused spinal surgery firm Carlsmed is planning to go public, adding to a strong year of medtech initial public offerings (IPOs).

Carlsmed filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 26 July, indicating its intention to go public.

The form neither detailed how many shares the device maker is looking to sell nor the price range at which they will be sold, meaning it is not possible to calculate how much the IPO will raise.

The Form S-1, used by companies when notifying the SEC of their intent to carry out public offerings, only mentioned that the listing would have occurred on the Nasdaq.

Carlsmed has developed a personalised surgery platform called aprevo, which it claims enhances surgical outcomes, lowers the need for revision surgery, and improves long-term outcomes. 

Intuitive’s multi-port robotic-assisted surgical system, da Vinci 5, has secured the CE mark approval for use in both adult and paediatric patients in Europe.

This approval allows the system to be utilised for a wide range of minimally invasive endoscopic procedures across abdominopelvic and thoracoscopic procedures, including those in gynaecology, urology, and general laparoscopy.

The system builds on the functional design of the da Vinci Xi Surgical System.

It features over 150 improvements, contributing to the da Vinci surgical system portfolio that has been leveraged in more than 410,000 procedures in Europe last year.

The system delivers improved surgical senses, including Force Feedback-enabled technology and an ergonomic surgeon console for supporting surgeon career longevity.

It also streamlines workflow with a universal user interface for care teams and integrates assistance to automate chosen tasks. 

MedTech Europe has issued a statement calling on European policymakers to exempt medical technologies from any trade tariffs or export restrictions. 

In response to the European Commission’s (EC) conclusion of a public consultation on proposed EU countermeasures impacting trade with the US, MedTech Europe expressed deep concern over a draft package that “targets a broad range of finished medical devices, in vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical devices, and a variety of essential components used in their manufacture”. 

The trade body’s overall request was that medical technologies be included and prioritised in a “zero for zero” tariff agreement on industrial goods or as part of any negotiated settlement that seeks to eliminate tariffs on both sides of the Atlantic. 

The EC’s consultation, which was announced on 8 May and closed on 10 June, was launched to gather input towards finalising proposals for the adoption of countermeasures against the Trump’s administration’s imposition of tariffs on the bloc.