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...

Ophthalmic products are regulated under quality standards published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), United States Pharmacopeia (USP), and various US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance. Application of these standards has recently been affected by the legal requirement for the FDA to standardize the regulatory approach to ophthalmic products whose components are considered devices. The agency communicated the update through a guidance outlining the phase-i...

Changing regulations are nothing new for regulatory professionals operating in the medical device sector, but 2022 cemented milestones no one in the profession can ignore. The fifth edition of Fundamentals of Medical Device Regulations provides a current view of regulations governing medical devices and IVD and addresses the impact of the application of EU Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR) and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (EU IVDR) as well as other important changes to...

A new analysis from the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy outlines the data elements that real-world data (RWD) sources would need to capture in order to evaluate the performance of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled clinical decision support tools, as well as the ongoing challenges related to data quality, privacy and security.   AI-enabled clinical decision support tools can be difficult to evaluate after deployment because of the non-standardized nature of el...

US medical device and in vitro diagnostic sponsors who are using the Food and Drug Administration’s de novo pathway will be able to use the eSTAR filing format at the beginning of 2022. A pilot program for the eSTAR template that kicked off in 2020 began with a template for 510(k) device submissions.   Nine companies participated in that pilot program that trialed the interactive, PDF-based filing format. Use of eSTAR was expanded in September 2020 to include all 5...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) slapped Smiths Medical in Minneapolis, MN with a warning letter for inadequate procedures for handling medical device reports (MDRs), faulty handling of complaints, inadequate validation processes, and lax corrective and preventative actions (CAPA) procedures. The company makes blood warmers and infusion pumps.   The warning letter was issued on 1 October and posted on 23 November. It follows a recent recall of the company’s ...

Hundreds of thousands of complaints from users of Philips Respironics’ breathing assistance devices have been inadequately addressed by the firm, according to recent information released by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The release of an inspection report and FDA’s accompanying statement provides more detail on what Philips knew, and what the firm did – or did not do – to remedy known problems with degradation of foam components in its breathing devices.   ...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released draft guidance for sponsors outlining its thinking about the documentation needed to support the agency’s evaluation of device software functions for premarket submissions.   The agency said the guidance recognizes the “rapidly evolving nature of digital health and recent FDA recognized consensus standards related to software” and, when finalized, will serve as an update to the Guidance for the Content of Premark...

Introduction A quality management system (QMS) is one of the five medical device conformity assessment elements. 1 Manufacturers of medical devices are expected to implement, document, and maintain a QMS that “ensures the medical devices it designs, manufactures, and supplies to the market are safe, perform as intended, and comply with the relevant provisions of the regulations in the countries where the product is made available.” 2   Today, a QMS is seen as a ...

This article provides an overview of medical device postmarketing requirements. These requirements include, but are not limited to, establishment registration, medical device reporting, and device tracking. Additional requirements include postmarket surveillance studies required under Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) Section 522 and postapproval studies required at the time of approval of certain application types.   Introduction: Establishment registra...

It is important for both medical device manufacturers and regulators to establish robust postmarketing surveillance (PMS) of devices to ensure their continued safe use. The PMS system should include reactive and proactive components, that is, vigilance and safety signals assessments. Applying corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) as a part of the quality management system improves the quality and safety aspects of the manufactured medical devices. This article examines...

In today’s global healthcare distribution market, an increasing number of medical device and in vitro diagnostic medical device (IVD) companies are aspiring to market globally. One of the main challenges these manufacturers face is how to register and distribute their products internationally. While direct distribution channels may be feasible for larger multinational corporations, third-party distribution brings its own advantages, and is becoming the norm in today’s land...