Medical Device & IVD Blog

Practical due-diligence checklist for evaluating the FDA Third Party Review (3P510k) Program — product-code eligibility verification, Accredited Person selection, conflict-of-interest screening, eSTAR compatibility, FDA final-determination risk, timeline and cost tradeoffs, and when to avoid third-party review.

Step-by-step guide to building a dual PMSR/PSUR reporting architecture that satisfies both EU MDR/IVDR and Great Britain SI 2024/1368 requirements — data-period alignment, GB-specific content, MHRA standardized format, FSCA linkage, trend reporting, record retention, and responsible-owner mapping.

Operational guide to the invalid-result workflow for home-use and self-test IVDs — covering invalid rate targets, lay-user error coding, repeat-test instructions, IFU comprehension, customer support scripts, specimen collection errors, adverse event handling, and postmarket trending.

A comprehensive guide to IEC 62304 Edition 2 — the 2026 update replacing safety classes A/B/C with rigor levels, expanding scope to all health software, adding AI/ML lifecycle requirements, integrating cybersecurity, and practical compliance timelines for medical device manufacturers.

How to prepare the consultation file for IVDR companion diagnostics — notified body submission to EMA or national medicinal product authorities, package contents, analytical and clinical performance evidence, drug label alignment, timing, deficiency risks, and the Team-NB V2 decision flowchart for significant changes.

A practical guide to implementing MDR Article 88 trend reporting — covering denominator selection, expected frequency calculation, statistical significance testing, severity escalation, complaint coding, CAPA linkage, PSUR/PMSR integration, and the MDCG 2025 draft Q&A requirements.

A comprehensive guide to MDUFA VI — the 2027-2032 FDA medical device user fee agreement covering CDRH staffing restoration, America-First fee restructuring, real-world evidence provisions, fee projections, and practical preparation strategies for device manufacturers.

Practical guide to change control for NGS bioinformatics pipelines in IVD devices — covering variant caller updates, reference database changes, threshold modifications, wet-lab/software interface validation, IEC 62304 documentation, revalidation triggers, and postmarket records.

How to design and implement a drift monitoring protocol for AI-enabled imaging devices under FDA PCCP — dataset shift, scanner drift, demographic drift, performance thresholds, monitoring cadence, retraining triggers, labeling changes, and when FDA submission is still required.

How to design a PMCF survey under EU MDR that Notified Bodies accept as Level 4 clinical evidence — sample frame construction, inclusion/exclusion criteria, endpoint mapping to CER claims, acceptance criteria, statistical power, bias controls, adverse event capture, and when surveys alone are insufficient.

How to draft ISO 13485 / QMSR-compliant supplier quality agreements for critical outsourced vendors — cloud hosting providers, AI model/data vendors, penetration testing firms, ASCA/non-ASCA test labs, and sterilization vendors — with clause-by-clause guidance, vulnerability notification clauses, audit rights, CAPA cooperation, change notification, and evidence records.

Operational guide to converting an RUO-labeled assay or reagent into a cleared or approved IVD — covering marketing claims cleanup, distributor scripts, customer notices, historical data triage, validation bridge strategy, complaint transition, sales training, and evidence firewall construction.

Operational playbook for medical device PSIRT teams — SBOM component matching, exploitability analysis, VEX justification authoring, PSIRT severity scoring, CAPA trigger thresholds, field safety corrective action decisions, and customer communication timing.

Decision tree for when a software or cybersecurity update can use Special 510(k) vs Traditional 510(k) — risk analysis, V&V summary, FDA guidance, and evidence package requirements.

Practical playbook for responding to Notified Body deficiencies on SSCP documents under EU MDR — response table format, clinical benefit wording fixes, residual risk language, patient readability, CER/IFU alignment, translation consistency, and EUDAMED publication readiness.

2026 is the most consequential year for medical device UDI compliance globally. Mandatory deadlines hit in the EU (May 28), Switzerland (July 1), Australia (July 1), and China. This guide covers every active UDI system, class-by-class deadlines, data requirements, and what happens if you miss them.

The medical device CDMO market is projected to grow from $134.65 billion in 2025 to $354.60 billion by 2033 at 13.12% CAGR. This guide covers market size, growth drivers, key players (Jabil, Integer, Flex, Plexus), M&A trends, and how to choose the right contract manufacturing partner.

Switzerland's swissdamed database becomes mandatory on July 1, 2026, requiring all medical device manufacturers to register products and upload UDI data. This guide covers the Product Module, CH REP requirements, M2M functionality, grace period rules, immediate registration triggers, and the consequences of non-compliance.

Practical guide to the top 12 FDA cybersecurity deficiencies causing premarket submission holds in 2026 — SBOM gaps, threat modeling failures, risk assessment mistakes, and fixes aligned with the February 2026 final guidance and Section 524B.

How FDA and CDRH staffing cuts are affecting 510(k) review times, pre-submission meetings, and regulatory strategy — with data on CDRH capacity, MDUFA V performance, and practical mitigation strategies for device companies.