Health Canada could take up to 75 days to decide whether to approve a programming fix aimed at a potential security flaw in pacemakers manufactured by Abbott, formerly called St. Jude Medical. 'Vanishingly small' riskThe firmware update will be transmitted to patients' pacemakers by their cardiologists during an in-person visit. Health Canada approved Abbott's first attempt to fix the problem — a software patch released in January 2017 — but it did not fully address the cybersecurity vulnerability. A spokesperson for Health Canada says the department has continued to work with the manufacturer and receiving "updates and information" since then. The device in question meets stringent Health Canada requirements for safety and effectiveness," he said.

Source: CBC News September 01, 2017 09:00 UTC