Regulatory Intelligence – a core task of regulatory affairs?

Many companies consider Regulatory Intelligence so important that they create their own roles and departments for it. This article clarifies what Regulatory Intelligence is, how companies can benefit from it, and where tools can provide support. 1. What is “Regulatory Intelligence”? This includes gathering and analyzing regulatory information from various sources, including regulatory agencies, industry…

Details

Devices without an intended medical purpose – Annex XVI devices

The EU Medical Devices Regulation (MDR) regulates not only medical devices but also devices without an intended medical purpose, e.g., liposuction devices, breast implants, and colored contact lenses. In December 2022 – four and a half years after the MDR was published – the EU regulated the necessary details with two Commission Implementing Regulations (2022/2346 and…

Details

ASCA: Accreditation Scheme for Conformity Assessment

ASCA stands for Accreditation Scheme for Conformity Assessment. The procedure is intended to accelerate conformity assessments and, thus, approval procedures. However, it is not applicable to all devices or all markets. This article explains who benefits from ASCA and how the procedure works. 1. ASCA – The basics a) Who is affected by ASCA? ASCA…

Details

TIR 45: Agile software development for medical devices

The TIR45 (“Guidance on the use of AGILE practices in the development of medical device software”) is a Technical Information Report (hence TIR) of AAMI, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. First published in 2012, TIR45 has one primary objective: To guide medical device manufacturers on developing software compliant with FDA requirements while…

Details

PMS trend analysis – a complex issue where you cannot fail

Trend analysis is a legal obligation of all medical device manufacturers, especially in “Post-Market Surveillance.” Manufacturers must not fail in the selection and application of suitable statistical methods for trend analysis. This is because the focus of authorities and notified bodies is increasingly shifting to monitoring post-market activities. This article provides a quick introduction to this…

Details

Medical device software PC: Software manufacturers, watch out!

The term “medical device PC” is not clearly defined. However, most people understand a medical device PC to be Depending on the constellation, manufacturers must fulfill different regulatory requirements. These are presented in this article. 1. Case distinctions for medical device PCs Case A: Standalone software is delivered If you as a manufacturer only supply…

Details

Medical device certification: Does it exist?

Medical device certification, MDR certification, CE certification. These are terms that are used frequently. But is there even such a thing as medical device certification? This article answers the question. 1. Summary The short answer is: There is no formal medical device certification, CE certification, or MDR certification. However, manufacturers do require certifications or certificates.…

Details

Switzerland: What (IVD) medical device manufacturers should be aware of

Switzerland is important both as a manufacturing location and as a market for medical device manufacturers who are based outside Switzerland. However, since May 26, 2021 (for medical devices) and May 26, 2022 (for in vitro diagnostic devices | IVD medical devices), manufacturers from Switzerland as well as manufacturers from other markets (e.g., the EU)…

Details

Medical device approval: Approval procedures in the EU and the USA

People often talk about the approval of medical devices, even if something else is meant – sometimes a certificate of conformity, sometimes a “clearance,” sometimes a successfully completed conformity assessment procedure. Terms like “MDR approval” are even misleading. This article clarifies what a medical device approval means and when manufacturers need one in the first…

Details