Medical Device Regulations & Compliance
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES
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![432423]( "CMS Takes Aim At Medical Device Cybersecurity – How To Ensure Continuous Medicare/Medicaid Coverage")
CMS Takes Aim At Medical Device Cybersecurity – How To Ensure Continuous Medicare/Medicaid CoverageIn its June 2021 report, the U.S. Office of Inspector General declared that Medicare lacks consistent oversight of cybersecurity for networked medical devices in hospitals. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is now considering additional ways to highlight the importance of medical device cybersecurity, in conjunction with the FDA and the Office for Civil Rights.
This new EMA guideline will become effective on January 1, 2022. It describes the information that should be presented in the quality part of a marketing authorization dossier for a medicinal product when it is used with a medical device and/or as part of a medical device. Medicinal products are similar to "combination products" referred to by the US FDA.
On June 24, 2021, the FDA released a draft guidance, Remanufacturing of Medical Devices Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff, for public comment in the Federal Register to help clarify whether repair, servicing, and reprocessing activities performed on devices are likely considered remanufacturing.
Regulators have moved toward remote inspections since the pandemic began, and this is likely to continue. This article presents an overview of the remote inspection process and provides advice on how to prepare for and deal with the inspection on the day, as well as how to respond to any concerns raised following the audit.
It’s always best to prevent the need to investigate a non-compliance, but if you experience a non-compliance, it’s necessary to quickly and effectively perform an investigation. The investigation report needs to be clearly understandable to anyone reviewing the report, and hopefully you'll also learn enough to make sure the non-compliance doesn't recur.
WHITE PAPERS & CASE STUDIES
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![WestSelfDose]( "Create An Effective Risk Management Program")
Create An Effective Risk Management ProgramDrug-device combination products are rapidly increasing in use, based on their numerous benefits. This article is a review of achieving performance and regulatory compliance for their successful development and commercialization.
Demonstration of fit-for-purpose for a drug-device combination product requires demonstration of system performance that meets regulatory requirements. This article presents a best practice strategy for performance testing. It starts with a thorough understanding of applicable regulations and guidances. Following this, performance risks are identified using failure modes and effects analyses (FMEA) and failure cause mapping analyses. Next, a test plan based on accepted standards is designed and executed, considering highest risk failure modes first.
This article presents a Single Source of Truth (SSOT) solution for all medical device-related information so that all stakeholders have access to relevant information at any time. By controlling information and making it accessible across an organization, teams can focus on quality, accelerate innovation, and improve operational efficiency while ensuring global regulatory compliance.
It is a constant challenge to keep improving product value for customers while reducing overall costs. Part of the solution resides in the functional activities of the risk involved and the cost of quality management. This article delves further into the ideas behind finding the ideal balance of where risk and cost of quality meet.
Given that the experimental design has only two conditions, leaking and non-leaking, this variable is extremely important to understand. Proper use of positive controls and knowledge of how alternative approaches are applied to challenge a test method support the validity and reliability of the method.
ABOUT MEDICAL DEVICE REGULATIONS & COMPLIANCE
Medical devices, from ideation to post-launch assessment, are regulated in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Medical Device Regulation Act of 1976 and subsequent amendments to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act of 1938.
The FDA’s medical device regulatory pathways — for premarket review, clearance, and approval — are based on three classifications, indicating the degree of regulatory control necessary to ensure a device’s safety and effectiveness. Class I devices are considered low-risk, and many are exempt from the regulatory process. Class II devices require special controls for “labeling, guidance, tracking, design, performance standards, and postmarket monitoring,” and most require premarket notification 510(k) to demonstrate substantial equivalence (having the same intended use and technological characteristics) to a legally marketed device. Class III devices usually sustain or support life, are implanted, or present a significant risk of illness or injury. Most class III devices require premarket approval (PMA), which examines a variety of factors in weighing the probable health benefits from intended use of a device versus the probable risks.
Medical device makers must adhere to Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations, which FDA inspectors use to determine if a manufacturer has the facilities, skills, and equipment to produce and pack its product. In addition, the FDA requires all medical devices to carry a unique device identifier (UDI), readable by both machines and humans, to “improve patient safety, modernize device postmarket surveillance, and facilitate medical device innovation.”
Medical device makers competing in international markets must monitor and adhere to the policies of foreign regulatory bodies, which can vary greatly, depending on the nation. Further, many global regulators require manufacturers to be certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO 13485 compliance, confirmed through third-party (Notified Body) audits, demonstrates a medical device manufacturer’s procedures and products meet or exceed international quality standards.
Efforts are also underway to standardize international regulations to ensure the safety, effectiveness, and quality of medical devices. The International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) — composed of regulatory agencies from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States — is building upon previous work by the Global Harmonization Task Force on Medical Devices (GHTF) to speed this harmonization and convergence.
LATEST HEADLINES
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Edwards' Self-Expanding Transcatheter Heart Valve Receives CE Mark2/16/2018
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW), the global leader in patient-focused innovations for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring, recently announced it has received CE Mark for its self-expanding CENTERA valve for severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis patients at high risk of open-heart surgery.
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Arterys’ Oncology Imaging Suite With Deep Learning Cleared By FDA2/16/2018
Arterys Inc., the leader in intelligent, cloud-based medical imaging software solutions, recently announced its fifth 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Embrace Becomes First FDA-Cleared Seizure-Monitoring Smart Watch2/5/2018
Empatica Inc has received clearance from the FDA for Embrace, its award-winning smart watch. Embrace uses AI (advanced machine learning) to monitor for the most dangerous kinds of seizures, known as "grand mal" or "generalized tonic-clonic" seizures, and send an alert to summon caregivers' help.
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FDA Clears Zimmer Biomet’s Total Shoulder Arthroplasty System1/3/2018
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SIX: ZBH), a global leader in musculoskeletal healthcare, today announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for the Sidus® Stem-Free Shoulder system as a total shoulder arthroplasty solution for patients with good bone stock that have either osteoarthritis, post-traumatic arthrosis, focal avascular necrosis of the humeral head or who had previous surgeries of the shoulder that do not compromise the fixation.
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K2M’s 3D-Printed Expandable Corpectomy Cage With Cervical Spine Indications Gains CE Mark12/20/2017
K2M Group Holdings, Inc.(NASDAQ:KTWO) (the "Company" or "K2M"), a global leader of complex spine and minimally invasive solutions focused on achieving three-dimensional Total Body Balance™, today announced that it received a CE Mark for its CAPRI® Cervical 3D Expandable Corpectomy Cage System* featuring Lamellar 3D Titanium Technology™, and the successful completion of its first surgical case.
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First Wire-Free Radar Breast Tumor Localization System For Long-Term Implant Cleared By FDA11/13/2017
Cianna Medical, Inc. has received FDA clearance of the SAVI SCOUT® reflector for long term implant. The SAVI SCOUT reflector is an integral part of the SCOUT system for wire-free breast tumor localization.
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CardioFocus’ HeartLight Excalibur Balloon For AF Treatment Earns CE Mark10/27/2017
CardioFocus, Inc. today announced the European CE Mark approval of the HeartLight Excalibur Balloon, a next-generation technology designed for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF).
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Acutus Medical’s Real-Time Cardiac Mapping Systems Cleared By FDA10/24/2017
Acutus Medical® today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the AcQMap® High Resolution Imaging and Mapping System and the AcQMap® 3D Imaging and Mapping Catheter for use in patients for whom electrophysiology procedures have been prescribed.
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FDA Clears Game Ready’s Multi-Modality Recovery Device10/6/2017
The injury and surgery recovery technology leader, Game Ready®, announced today that the company has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its revolutionary orthopedic rehabilitation device, the Med4 Elite™.
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FDA Approves Implantable To Treat Central Sleep Apnea10/6/2017
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a new treatment option for patients who have been diagnosed with moderate to severe central sleep apnea.