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  • Medical Devices

    • FDA Finalizes Postmarket Device Surveillance GuidanceMay 17th, 2016

      By McKenzie E. Cato* & Allyson B. Mullen – On May 16, FDA issued its final guidance document on postmarket surveillance of medical devices, “Postmarket Surveillance Under Section 522 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act,” approximately five years after issuing the draft guidance. The …

    • FDA Issues Much Anticipated Draft Guidance on Additive Manufactured (“3D-Printed”) DevicesMay 11th, 2016

      By McKenzie E. Cato* & Allyson B. Mullen – On May 10, FDA issued the long-awaited draft guidance, “Technical Considerations for Additive Manufactured Devices.”  In October 2014, FDA held a public workshop on AM devices, “Additive Manufacturing of Medical Devices: An Interactive Discussion on the Technical …

    • Does FDA’s Per Se Prohibition Against Off-Label Promotion Have a Future?April 26th, 2016

      The short answer to that question is “No,” says Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s Jeffrey K. Shapiro in an article published in the March/April 2016 issue of the Food and Drug Law Institute’s Update Magazine.  Mr. Shapiro examines the Department of Justice’s recent criminal prosecution of …

    • FDA Issues Updated Draft Guidance for Emergency Use Authorizations: Emphasis on IVDs and Government AgenciesApril 12th, 2016

      By Allyson B. Mullen – On April 1, FDA issued an updated draft guidance regarding the policies and procedures for Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs). The EUA procedures cover all types of medical products including drugs and biologics (e.g., vaccines and therapeutics) and devices (e.g., personal protective …

    • Another Year, Another Report on National Medical Device Evaluation System but Still Few DetailsApril 11th, 2016

      By Allyson B. Mullen – For the past several years, a public-private stakeholder Planning Board has been evaluating the possibility of a new National Medical Device Evaluation System (NMDES). See our earlier posts on this initiative here and here. As discussed in our earlier posts, the NMDES is …

    • FTC Issues Tool Intended to Assess Laws Governing Mobile Health AppsApril 8th, 2016

      By Jennifer D. Newberger – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released a guidance titled “Mobile Health App Developers: FTC Best Practices,” intended to provide tips to developers about data security. FTC also released an accompanying on-line tool to assist developers in determining the federal laws …

    • 510(k) Clearance “Corrected” 19 Years after Original ClearanceApril 1st, 2016

      By Jeffrey N. Gibbs & Allyson B. Mullen – Imagine that you were working at a device company and you received a letter today from FDA saying that FDA was “correcting” the FDA clearance you received nineteen (19 – that is not a typo) years ago.  …

    • QSR/cGMP Compliance, the Failure to Document, and “A Few Good Men”March 21st, 2016

      By Mark I. Schwartz – One of the pre-eminent rules in QSR and cGMP compliance is to document one’s activities. In the eyes of FDA, the “failure to document” is often equated with the failure to perform the underlying regulated activity. FDA takes this position principally …

    • Everything Old is New Again—FDA Request for Comments on Medical Device Refurbishing, Servicing, and Similar ActivitiesMarch 14th, 2016

      By Melisa M. Moonan – On March 4, 2016, FDA published a Federal Register Notification titled “Refurbishing, Reconditioning, Rebuilding, Remarketing, Remanufacturing, and Servicing of Medical Devices Performed by Third-Party Entities and Original Equipment Manufacturers; Request for Comments” (March 2016 notification).  This notification announces the establishment of a …

    • FDA and Product Jurisdiction: Time for ReformsMarch 1st, 2016

      FDA regulatory requirements for products are heavily influenced by the product’s classification. FDA has developed procedures for determining whether a product should be regulated as a drug, device, or biologic.   Understanding FDA’s procedures for determining jurisdiction is essential for companies that are seeking to market …

    • Booz Allen Issues Final Implementation Evaluation Report on CDRH Actions to Improve Device ReviewFebruary 29th, 2016

      By Allyson B. Mullen – By In early February, Booz Allen Hamilton (“Booz Allen”) issued its Final Implementation Report assessing the actions taken by CDRH to address the firm’s earlier recommendations to improve the Center’s premarket review activities. We previously blogged on Booz Allen’s recommendations and …

    • Final Device Human Factors Guidance – Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes?February 23rd, 2016

      By Melisa M. Moonan – After more than 600 comments and four and a half years since the draft guidance (“Applying Human Factors and Usability Engineering to Optimize Medical Device Design” (June 21, 2011)) was published, FDA has released the final device human factors guidance, “Applying …

    • FDA Issues Draft Guidance Regarding Interoperable Medical DevicesFebruary 7th, 2016

      By Allyson B. Mullen – On January 26, FDA issued the draft guidance “Design Considerations and Pre-market Submission Recommendations for Interoperable Medical Devices.” A copy of the draft guidance can be found here. The draft guidance addresses design and premarket issues related to the interoperability of devices, …

    • Draft Guidance Announces List of High Priority Devices for Human Factors ReviewFebruary 4th, 2016

      By Melisa M. Moonan – FDA has been flooding the zone with new guidance documents. Earlier this week, FDA finalized the human factors guidance, “Applying Human Factors and Usability Engineering to Medical Devices, Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff” (Feb. 3, 2016). At …

    • FDA Issues Draft Guidance Regarding Post-Market Cybersecurity for DevicesFebruary 2nd, 2016

      By Allyson B. Mullen – On January 15, FDA issued the draft guidance “Postmarket Management of Cybersecurity in Medical Devices.”  This draft guidance is the postmarket counterpart to the draft premarket guidance that FDA released in 2013, which we previously posted on here and here.  Without finalizing the …