MDR challenges
(Medical Device Regulation)
CLINICAL EVALUATION, RISK MANAGEMENT, USABILITY ENGINEERING, PMCF & CO.
Challenges of the MDR (Medical Device Regulation)
On May 25, 2017, the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR ) came into force together with the equally new IVD Regulation (In-vitro Diagnostic Device Regulation – IVDR ). Both form the new European regulatory framework for medical devices. They replace the previous guidelines (MDD, AIMD, IVD). The MDR is mandatory after a four-year transition period, starting May 26, 2021. There is a five-year transition period for the IVDR.
Medical Device Regulation (MDR)
New requirements for MDR
Compared to the previous regulations, the MDR places a large number of new and stricter requirements on the manufacturers of medical devices. These concern
- the medical devices themselves,
- the technical documentation,
- Classification, approval and placing on the market,
- as well as some other topics
Manufacturer obligations
The MDR presents manufacturers with major new challenges:
- By broadening the definitions, the scope of the MDR is considerably extended. It also includes, for example, products without a direct medical purpose, such as wellness, lifestyle or cosmetics.
- According to the MDR, clinical evaluation is a continuous life cycle process. This means that the entire life cycle of the medical device must be integrated into the manufacturer's quality management system;
- In addition to the previous processes covered by EN ISO 13485 (quality management for medical devices), there are new or fundamentally changed processes;
- The classification rules as well as the conformity assessment procedures for many products have been changed by the new MDR.
- Much higher requirements are placed on the availability/collection of clinical data and on clinical evaluation.
- For the post-market surveillance of medical devices by the manufacturer, the new MDR imposes strict and comprehensive requirements (Post Market Surveillance System);
- There are further changes in product registration or UDI labeling and registration in the European medical device database EUDAMED.
- The new MDR does not provide grandfathering. All medical devices that are currently approved must be re-certified according to the new requirements.
MEC-ABC, Your „guide“ to
clinical data under MDR
MEC-ABC supports developers and manufacturers of medical devices in determining and collecting clinical data for development, approval or for the entire life cycle. MEC-ABC acts as a guide, providing advice on how to understand and correctly apply the specifications.