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China: Reduced Clinical Trial Requirements Ease Regulatory Burden

It has been reported by law firm Sidley Austin that a new rule has been issued by the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) which is designed to simplify clinical trial requirements for manufacturers of Class II medical devices.  The rule is hoped to streamline regulatory review processes and timelines for eligible Class II medical devices....

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New EU IVD Regulations, Potentially In Line with Australian IVD Requirements

The European Commission is considering a number of key requirements, namely classification rules and clinical evaluation, for inclusion in the new IVD Regulation which will be potentially implemented in the European Union (EU) during 2015/2016.   These requirements echo changes made to the Therapeutic Goods (Medical Device) Regulations 2002 as amended which are specific to IVDs....

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International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) Progresses

At a meeting held in Singapore the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) (initiated to carry out a similar role to the now disbanded Global Harmonisation Task Force (GHTF)) a number of progressions were made. The Forum includes international medical device regulators from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan and the USA and has an aim to strategically accelerate international medical device regulatory convergence. It is hoped that this will provide medical device manufacturers with a more efficient path to certification worldwide. As indicated above, the Forum has fundamentally similar objectives to the......

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An Insight Into Medical Device Requirements in Kenya

The Kenyan Pharmacy and Poisons Board have released draft guidance (January 2012) specifying minimum requirements for advertising and promoting drugs and medical devices. The document is aimed at ensuring the legal framework is adhered to and that the message received by consumers from therapeutic goods manufacturers is factual and evidence based....

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Brazil IVD Requirements – Aligned with GHTF Principles

Brazil’s regulatory agency, Anvisa, has introduced reforms to simplify classification processes for IVD products.  From the 18th of May 2012 IVD manufacturers will be subject to new regulations which are aligned with the Global Harmonisation Task Force (GHTF) principles and therefore similar to the world’s major IVD markets. The new system is characterised by 9 classification rules which are based on the following 5 criteria:...

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What Does Recall Really Mean? The GHTF Aim to Provide Clarity

The recent PIP breast implant saga is a reminder of just how important it is for us, the medical device industry, to have a universal system for identifying, classifying and resolving product recall situations.  Despite its importance, the term recall is currently not harmonised. The term has different meanings depending on region which can result in confusion for regulatory authorities and users worldwide. The Global Harmonisation Task Force (GHTF) has released a draft guidance document which may just pave the way for harmonised terminology, clarifying things for all medical device manufacturers....

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