Welcome to the June issue of RF Quarterly in which global regulatory experts write about Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), medical device regulations in China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), and a personal reflection on 3 decades at the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH). Also included are articles on the development of clinical trial disclosure requirements, expedited pathways, and the De Novo pathway and the Final Ru...

This article provides an overview of the regulatory history of the De Novo pathway, from its initial introduction in the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act (FDAMA) in 1997 to its Final Rule implementation into the US Federal Regulation via 21 CFR 860 in 2022. The authors provide a summary of each of the establishing acts and guidances that have culminated in the regulation, emphasize the historic changes of the process, and provide an analysis of the impact of ...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the first in vitro diagnostic to help diagnose early Alzheimer’s disease. The agency said the test minimizes radiation risks to patients who otherwise would need to be tested with positron emission tomography (PET) scans.   On 4 May, FDA announced it has given the green light to Fujirebio Diagnostics’ de novo application for its Lumipulse G β-Amyloid Ratio (1-42/1-40) test, which is intended for patients ages...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday issued a final rule setting requirements for the medical device de novo classification process, codifying procedures and criteria for new types of medical devices to be authorized as Class I or Class II devices.   "These requirements are intended to ensure the most appropriate classification of devices consistent with the protection of the public health and the statutory scheme for device regulation. They are also i...

The US Food and Drug Administration on 2 June authorized the marketing of a first-of-its kind device intended to help diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children aged 18 months through 5 years.   The device was developed by Cognoa, a company based in Palo Alto, CA, that develops diagnostic devices for the pediatric population. The company submitted its application, for the de novo pathway for new types of low-to-moderate-risk devices in September 2020.   ...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been steadily increasing the annual number of granted de novo classification requests in recent years and hit a record of 44 de novos granted during 2018. The de novo premarket review pathway, used for novel, low-to-moderate-risk devices that are not substantially equivalent to already marketed devices, has increasingly attracted interest in the medical device ecosystem, particularly after the quick turnaround for Apple’s g...

Industry experts raised questions around the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recent proposal that would allow FDA to inspect manufacturing facilities prior to granting de novo classification requests. The proposal is part of the 76-page proposed rule FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) set forth last December. The proposed rule addresses the lack of de novo-specific regulation that puts the program at a disadvantage compared to the traditiona...

Following the 2018 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the country’s first mobile medical application indicated for contraceptive use, the agency issued a final order Tuesday to classify the software app for contraception as a class II device. The regulation set forth in the final order comes as a result of the 2017 de novo classification request FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) granted  to Swedish startup company Natural Cycles Nor...

The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized on Tuesday the classification of the auto titration device for oral appliances into class II with special controls. The final order sets the new regulation on the dental device type based on the regulatory review of the 2017 de novo classification request CDRH granted to Zephyr Sleep Technologies’ MATRx plus, classifying the device into class II in August 2018. I...

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) on Wednesday sent letters to the three insulin manufacturers serving the US: Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi, seeking more information on the root causes of the rising cost of insulin. First discovered more than 100 years ago, average insulin prices nearly tripled between 2002 and 2013 and then nearly doubled between 2012 and 2016, with patients bearing the brunt of those price spikes. Now, just a day after two moth...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a proposed rule on Tuesday to establish requirements on the de novo review pathway for classifying new medical device types. If finalized, the rule will implement the de novo classification process and define the scope of regulatory procedures used by agency staff and classification panels convened by FDA when classifying and reclassifying medical devices. The work at FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (C...

The US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) issued two final orders Thursday, classifying an anesthesiology and an ENT device into class II.   The classifications complete the work on the de novo classification requests submitted to CDRH in early 2017. Vapotherm’s de novo request for the classification of the Precision Flow HVNI, which is designed to help patients breathe easily, was granted in April. The de novo request for ...