Medtech Insight's News We're Watching highlights a few noteworthy industry developments you might have missed: Accenture's new Vision Report addresses the future of "more human" tech in health care; Efemoral secures FDA's breakthrough status for its bioresorbable peripheral stent; Impulse Dynamics secures $135m to support its cardiac contractility modulation; PrecisionLife and Metrodora announced a partnership to address chronic diseases including long COVID; Cardio Diagnostics launches its cardiac epigenetic/genetic tests in a Walmart near Chicago.

Neuroscience and oncology fuel high hopes for therapeutic R&D progress among 90-plus surveyed biopharma industry leaders.

Already partnered on antibody-drug conjugates and a Phase III breast cancer candidate, Merck could pay up to $9.3bn under its third pact in 2022 with Kelun. Eisai divests Fycompa to Catalyst.