In vitro diagnostic medical devices or in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) are a subgroup of medical devices. IVDs obtain medical information from human samples. Their clinical benefit lies in providing precise, accurate, and correct information to support or to make a diagnosis.
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This page gives you a quick overview of the regulatory requirements for in vitro diagnostics:
The EU Regulation 2017/746 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDR) defines what an in vitro diagnostic medical device is:
means any medical device which is a reagent, reagent product, calibrator, control material, kit, instrument, apparatus, piece of equipment, software or system, whether used alone or in combination, intended by the manufacturer to be used in vitro for the examination of specimens, including blood and tissue donations, derived from the human body, solely or principally for the purpose of providing information on one or more of the following:
specimen receptacles shall also be deemed to be in vitro diagnostic medical devices;
Source: IVDR, Article 2
The FDA’s definition is similar:
In vitro diagnostic products are those reagents, instruments, and systems intended for use in diagnosis of disease or other conditions, including a determination of the state of health, in order to cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent disease or its sequelae. Such products are intended for use in the collection, preparation, and examination of specimens taken from the human body.
Source: 21 CFR 809.3 (a)
In Europe, manufacturers, importers, and distributors of in vitro diagnostics must comply with the IVDR. You should be aware of the differences between the IVDR and IVDD.
Depending on the product type, other EU regulations, common specifications, or EU directives (e.g., the Machinery Directive) may be relevant for an IVD.
The FDA has its requirements for placing IVDs on the market.
The following articles provide the necessary expert knowledge for the approval of in vitro diagnostics:
To be allowed to place IVDs on the market in Europe and other markets, these devices must meet requirements. These include the General Safety and Performance Requirements set out in Annex I of the IVDR, as well as requirements relating to
In addition, manufacturers must ensure that, for example
Specific IVDs must meet particular requirements. These articles provide an overview:
If the devices contain software or qualify as IVD software, the following articles are helpful:
Do you still have questions about in vitro diagnostics and the regulatory requirements? You can get answers in our free micro-consulting.
Download the free starter kit, which will give you an overview of the regulatory landscape and show you the steps to get your IVD “approved.” It also contains the IVDR checklist in PDF and DOCX format!
The video training courses at the Medical Device University show you how to create your technical documentation and your QM system lean, fast, and IVDR-compliant. Over 100 templates and sample documents are available for you to download.
This will enable you to create the prerequisites for approving your devices quickly and safely and launching them on the market.
Some of our seminars are aimed specifically at IVD manufacturers and laboratories.
The experts at the Johner Institute will help you test your devices:
The Johner Institute experts will help you develop your devices in compliance with regulatory requirements and bring them to market. We can either assist you or take on some of the work.
Benefit from the regulatory affairs experts to help you
Contact us now to clarify together how you can quickly and efficiently meet the regulatory requirements of the IVDR and get your devices safely to the market.
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If you are under 16 and wish to give consent to optional services, you must ask your legal guardians for permission. We use cookies and other technologies on our website. Some of them are essential, while others help us to improve this website and your experience. Personal data may be processed (e.g. IP addresses), for example for personalized ads and content or ad and content measurement. You can find more information about the use of your data in our privacy policy. Here you will find an overview of all cookies used. You can give your consent to whole categories or display further information and select certain cookies.