This article compares real-world evidence (RWE) and postmarket surveillance (PMS) data collected outside of a randomized, controlled, clinical trial. Real-world data (RWD) include individual patient data points such as complaints and anecdotal findings. The recent explosion in RWD collection has led to new challenges in RWD evaluation globally. Solutions are rapidly evolving to analyze these relatively random data points for scientifically valid purposes. This article disc...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 7 October released two final guidances to assist manufacturers of moderate- to high-risk medical devices to comply with the agency’s postmarket surveillance requirements and to better understand the agency’s expectations for conducting post-approval studies of these products.   The final versions contain minor changes from the draft versions released for comment in May 2021. (RELATED: FDA issues new draft guidances on devi...

Organizations require regulatory intelligence (RI) solutions now more than ever, especially in the current context of rapidly emerging technologies and evolving regulatory landscape. This article provides an overview of a three-part process of RI, consisting of data input, analysis, and output, and its strategic application in the product life cycle and business processes in achieving a competitive edge. RI has a significant range of applications and could be a practical ...

The article compares and contrasts the regulatory requirements for herbal medicinal products (HMPs), herbal-based medical devices and botanical food supplements in the EU. It is part 2 of a two-part article – Part 1 presented the definitions, main regulations, and documentation requirements for placing the products on the market; Part 2 will address quality, the strength of evidence supporting the safety and efficacy, and postmarket surveillance (PMS) requirements across...

Welcome to the fall issue of RF Quarterly in which international experts from the US, EU, and Saudi Arabia examine quality and compliance and their governing regulations, with specific focus on data integrity, quality system design and management, current good manufacturing practice (cGMP), and postmarketing activities in relation to medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and biologics.   Pragmatism, integrity, and QMS Data reliability in all formats and parts of an o...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued two draft guidances to help device manufacturers comply with postmarket surveillance requirements and to understand the agency’s expectations for post-approval studies (PASs). The guidances have been revised to require new reporting on patient enrollment.   The first guidance spells out procedures for handling PASs imposed as a condition of premarket approval (PMA), while the second addresses FDA’s interpretation of ...

The purpose of this article is to highlight new facets of EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) in the medical device industry. The article contains references to both MDR legal articles and recommendations that will challenge organizations to take a more holistic viewpoint of their products, resources, and regulatory toolkit to be compliant in the EU.   Introduction The application date of 2017/745 MDR 1 is 26 May 2021, when it will officially supersede the 93/42/EC...

The US Food and Drug Organization’s (FDA’s) Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology issued its first-ever annual report summing up the office’s work.   The scope of the office’s charge meant that during the pandemic, staff effort was largely directed toward addressing the global public health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic, noted Gerald Dal Pan, director of FDA’s Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology (OSE).   However, OSE also continued its efforts in other a...

The US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) will issue a report next year on the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) postmarket surveillance of medical devices, which has come under fire in recent months. OIG says it will assess and describe how FDA's “established passive postmarket surveillance system” identifies and tracks safety concerns and responds to them. “We will also describe how elements of FDA's newer surveillance ...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued final guidance Thursday to provide medical device manufacturers clarifications on unique device identification (UDI) marking policies for convenience kits. The guidance finalized the 2016 draft version of the document, developed by FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health and its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Combination products and in vitro diagnostics subject to labeling requirements fall ou...

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) released a three-part medical device action plan, part of which will make adverse event reports more timely, as well as enhance public awareness on and the agency and device regulatory system. The plan also identifies additional opportunities for TGA to increase transparency, with stakeholder consultations on proposed changes to regulatory requirements and forthcoming guidance materials. Until early 2020, potential c...

As part of efforts to make breast implants safer, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should consider additional postmarket data reporting requirements on breast implant manufacturers, the agency’s General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel suggested after a two-day meeting. On whether to remove textured breast implants from the US market as other countries have done, the panel argued data is lacking to support such a recommendation as it would reduce options for p...