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    • Reflecting on the First Year of CDRH’s 510(k) Refuse to Accept PolicyFebruary 26th, 2014

      By Allyson B. Mullen & Jeffrey N. Gibbs – The end of 2013 marked the first anniversary of CDRH’s Refuse to Accept Policy for 510(k)s (the “RTA”).  FDA, Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff, Refuse to Accept Policy for 510(k)s (December 2012).  Therefore, we thought it …

    • Maybe There Is Such a Thing As a Free Lunch – Vermont Considers Allowing Drug and Device Makers to Again Provide In-Office Meals to Healthcare ProfessionalsFebruary 20th, 2014

      By James C. Shehan – Vermont law has banned manufacturers of prescription drug, device, and biologics products from providing most gifts to physicians and other healthcare professionals since 2009 and has required these manufacturers to report permitted gifts and payments to Vermont HCPs since 2002 (summarized …

    • FDA Issues Final Rule and Guidance on Electronic MDR ReportingFebruary 20th, 2014

      By Allyson B. Mullen – On February 14, 2014, FDA issued a final rule amending 21 C.F.R. Part 803, Medical Device Reporting, to require medical device manufacturers and importers to submit MDRs in an electronic format (the “Final Rule”).  79 Fed. Reg. 8832 (Feb. 14, 2014).  …

    • CDRH Releases 2014-2015 Strategic PrioritiesFebruary 12th, 2014

      By Jennifer D. Newberger – On February 5, 2014, CDRH released its 2014-2015 Strategic Priorities, in which it stated that the most important areas of focus over the next two years will be to “strengthen the clinical trials enterprise,” “strike the right balance between premarket and …

    • FDLI’s 2014 Medical Device Conference – Key Legal and Regulatory DevelopmentsFebruary 12th, 2014

      At the Food and Drug Law Institute’s (“FDLI’s”) 2014 Medical Device Conference – Key Legal and Regulatory Developments, which will take place in Washington, D.C. on February 27, 2014, top FDA officials will discuss their most significant recent activities and forecast upcoming medical device activities.  …

    • FDA Issues New Draft Guidance for Custom Devices; Some Points Worth HighlightingJanuary 27th, 2014

      By Jeffrey K. Shapiro – FDA has issued a new draft guidance on the custom device exemption.  Comments are due by March 17, 2014.  This schedule puts FDA on track to finalize the guidance by July 9, 2014, as required under section 617 of the Food and …

    • FDA Issues Final Rule Regarding Pediatric Information Required by FDAAAJanuary 13th, 2014

      By Jennifer D. Newberger – On January 10, 2014, FDA issued a final rule amending the PMA regulations to require inclusion of information relating to pediatric subpopulations that suffer from the disease or condition that a device is intended to treat, diagnose, or cure, and the …

    • Booz Allen Hamilton’s Priority Recommendations for Device Review Come as No SurpriseDecember 16th, 2013

      By Jennifer D. Newberger – As part of the Medical Device User Fee Act of 2012 (MDUFA III) Commitment Letter, FDA and the medical device industry agreed to participate in a comprehensive assessment of the medical device review process.  MDUFA III Commitment Letter (April 18, 2012), …

    • CDRH Issues Final Guidance on Research Use Only and Investigational Use Only In Vitro Diagnostics ProductsDecember 3rd, 2013

      By Allyson B. Mullen & Jeffrey N. Gibbs – On November 25, 2013, CDRH issued the Final Guidance “Distribution of In Vitro Diagnostic Products Labeled for Research Use Only or Investigational Use Only: Frequently Asked Questions” (the “RUO Guidance”) (see our previous posts on the draft …

    • Personalized Medicine: FDA Says It Is ReadyNovember 14th, 2013

      By Allyson B. Mullen –  For many individuals, a diagnosis, be it life threatening or chronic, is scary.  However, the trial and error process that can follow the diagnosis in order to find a therapy (e.g., drug, device and/or biologic) that works best for the patient …

    • Trends in Personalized MedicineNovember 10th, 2013

      An article published in the current edition of Regulatory Focus, the flagship publication of the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS), and authored by Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s Alexander J. Varond discusses the recent trends and developments in personalized medicine, including FDA’s current thinking and …

    • The Device Submission eCopy RequirementsNovember 3rd, 2013

      By Allyson B. Mullen – Now that the eCopy program is well underway, it might be a good idea to review how the program works and consider a few of the common pitfalls.  Although nearly a year has passed since the final guidance document for the …

    • CDRH Details Relaxed Data Standard for IDEs for Early Feasibility StudiesOctober 8th, 2013

      By Jay W. Cormier – Notwithstanding the government shutdown, on Tuesday, October 1st, FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (“CDRH”) issued a final guidance regarding filing for an investigational device exemption (“IDE”) for medical device early feasibility studies.  At the heart of the guidance is that …

    • The Shutdown: An Update on FDA ActivitiesOctober 7th, 2013

      By Kurt R. Karst –       We’re now entering the second week of the shutdown of the federal government (or “the lapse period” as some have called it), and there does not appear to be an end in sight.  In fact, the environment in Washington, D.C. has …

    • Free the FDAAA Hostage!October 7th, 2013

      By Jeffrey K. Shapiro – There has been a lot of talk about hostage taking during the recent federal government budget impasse.  But Congress is not the only one taking hostages in Washington.  The recent draft Medical Device Reporting (MDR) guidance reminds us (pp. 4-5) …