Franken bill would speed up medical device approval process

U.S. Sen. Al Franken will visit Medtronic Monday morning to discuss his legislative proposal to speed up the time to get innovative medical devices approved for the market.

Franken will talk about his new bill that pushes forward devices for patients with rare diseases. Franken's office said in a media advisory his proposal could help get devices to the market more safely.

The news comes as medical device companies have complained that the process for approving medical devices through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration takes too long and is too expensive. As a result, some investors have been reluctant to fund medical device start-ups. Meanwhile, consumer advocates have said more must be done to monitor the safety of medical devices.

Wendy Lee • 612-673-1712