Signs are pointing toward the possibility of a grand overhaul of federal regulation of the device (and drug) industry by the end of the Obama administration after all. Progress on a bill had been slow out of the gate in the Senate following last year's overwhelming passage of the 21st Century Cures Act in the House of Representatives. But several Democratic and Republican senators and representatives just met with Vice President Joe Biden at the White House to discuss their efforts. It appears that the idea of combining Republican-led regulatory easing with Democratic desires like "moonshot" cancer research and the Precision Medicine Initiative is gaining stream, according to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The meeting with Vice President Biden comes on the heels of an unexpected agreement in a key Senate committee, which led to the advancement of three bills to simplify regulation of med tech. Meanwhile, AdvaMed just touted a bill, introduced by reps. Todd Young (R-IN) and Scott Peters (D-CA), to encourage federal reimbursement of investigational medical devices. The trade association proposed the initiative at a press conference last year, but it was not included in the House's 21st Century Cures Act. More from the House Energy and Commerce Committee | More from AdvaMed