Despite opposition from industry, the Medical Device Safety Act enjoys support from a broad range of interest groups, including consumer advocates, trial lawyers and AARP. With companion legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., many analysts have already predicted the measure will become law.

AdvaMed announced its first-ever advertising guidelines for companies like Medtronic Inc., Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific Corp. The guidelines urge companies to state the risks of their implants clearly and concisely when advertising them to consumers.


The device industry is attracting new scrutiny from lawmakers as companies increasingly promote their implants to consumers via TV and magazine advertisements.

Read DOTmed's extensive coverage of decisions leading up to this, including:
-Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Patient in Wyeth Case, DM 8369;
-AdvaMed Statement on Wyeth v. Levine Supreme Court Ruling, DM 8367;
-New Legislation Introduced to Override Landmark Supreme Court Decision on Medical Devices, DM 6440
Enter the DM number into any search box on DOTmed.com

Track the legislation on the Library of Congress THOMAS web site:
http://thomas.loc.gov/
H.R.1346
Title: To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to
liability under State and local requirements respecting devices.
Sponsor: Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6] (introduced 3/5/2009)
Cosponsors (65)

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