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  • Medical Devices

    • PREVOR v. FDA: Round II in CourtAugust 1st, 2013

      By Allyson B. Mullen – You may recall that French device maker PREVOR previously sued, and won, in litigation against FDA regarding FDA’s classification of Diphoterine® Skin Wash (“DSW”), a product used in industrial settings as a “first response” method to minimize chemical burns.  Hyman, …

    • FDA Announces Fiscal Year 2014 User Fee Rates; They’re Movin’ On Up!August 1st, 2013

      By Kurt R. Karst –   Now that we've put the theme from The Jeffersons in your head . . . . On August 2, 2013, FDA will officially announce in a series of Federal Register notices the Fiscal Year 2014 (“FY 2014”) user fee rates under …

    • The Mystery of the Missing MDR NoticeJuly 21st, 2013

      By Jennifer D. Newberger & Jeffrey N. Gibbs – In the draft MDR guidance discussed in our prior post, FDA stated that it has not yet issued a Federal Register notice required by the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (“FDAAA”) regarding certain …

    • FDA SOS: New Bill Would Exempt FDA User Fees From the Ravages of SequestrationJuly 18th, 2013

      By Kurt R. Karst –       “… — …” – That’s the international Morse code distress signal commonly shown as SOS.  SOS is also in the title of the acronymized “FDA SOS Act,” or the “FDA Safety Over Sequestration Act,” which a bipartisan group of members …

    • In Case You (Like Everyone) Missed It – The Administrative Conference of the United States is BackJuly 17th, 2013

      By Joseph W. Cormier – Last week, the Administrative Conference of the United States ("ACUS") made four recommendations to the Executive Branch and independent agencies, three of which may be of interest to readers of this blog. Among its first recommendations this year, the ACUS …

    • All Device Manufacturers Must Report!July 14th, 2013

      By Jennifer D. Newberger – At long last, 16 years after the most recent version, FDA has issued a new draft guidance about medical device reporting for manufacturers.  Companies have long complained about the ambiguities in the regulation.  In a typical case of “be careful what …

    • Diamond Jubilee: The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act Turns 75!June 25th, 2013

      By Kurt R. Karst –  It was 75 years ago today, on June 25, 1938, that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDC Act”), which replaced the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, 34 Stat. 768, …

    • CDRH Issues Draft Guidance for IDE and Pre-IDE ProcessesJune 18th, 2013

      By Jennifer D. Newberger – On June 14, 2013, FDA issued a draft guidance, “FDA Decisions for Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) Clinical Investigations,” to provide clarity around certain IDE decisions, and to introduce a “voluntary program intended to facilitate the development of trial designs that may …

    • House Appropriations Committee Report Expresses Concerns About FDA; Would Require a Slew of New Action DeadlinesJune 13th, 2013

      By Kurt R. Karst –       A Draft Committee Report made available by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations that would, once finalized, accompany the Fiscal Year 2014 Agriculture/FDA Apprropriations bill (currently available as a Full Committee Draft), lays out a laundry list of …

    • FDA Commissioner Calls for More Active FDA Regulation of Laboratory-Developed Tests, and ACLA Promptly Responds with a Petition Opposing FDAJune 5th, 2013

      By Jeffrey N. Gibbs, Jamie K. Wolszon & Jessica A. Ritsick – For many years, FDA has wrestled with how to regulate Laboratory-Developed Tests (“LDTs”).  FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg is now renewing FDA’s call for more active FDA regulation of LDTs and touting the …

    • The Medical Device Amendments of 1976: The Statute That Went AwryJune 3rd, 2013

      By Jeffrey K. Shapiro – The Medical Device Amendments  of 1976 (“MDA”), Pub. L. No. 94-295, 90 Stat. 539 (1976), are commonly described as the beginning of the modern era of device regulation.  In one sense, this description is absolutely correct.  The MDA established for …

    • FDA Sends Letter to Mobile App Developer for Failure to Obtain 510(k) ClearanceMay 23rd, 2013

      By Carmelina G. Allis – FDA has issued an “It Has Come to Our Attention Letter” to Biosense Technologies Private Limited for failure to have a 510(k) clearance for its mobile app, the uChek Urine Analyzer.  The app can be downloaded for 99 cents through …

    • CDRH Issues Final Appeals Guidance, Q&A About FDASIA Appeals ProcessMay 20th, 2013

      By Jeffrey K. Shapiro & Jennifer D. Newberger – As discussed in our prior posts (here, here, and here), the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (“CDRH”) has taken much needed steps to improve the most commonly used appeal process, request for supervisory review, available …

    • FDA Announces Public Meeting Regarding Device ModificationsMay 14th, 2013

      By Jennifer D. Newberger – In the Federal Register of May 8, 2013, FDA announced a public meeting titled “510(k) Device Modifications:  Deciding When to Submit a 510(k) for a Change to an Existing Device.”  The notice states that the focus of the meeting will be …

    • New Paper Argues 510(k) Program Has Strengths That Critics Have OverlookedMay 13th, 2013

      On May 4, 2013, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. Director Jeffrey K. Shapiro presented a draft paper and slides on the 510(k) medical device substantial equivalence program during a conference on FDA in the 21st Century.  The conference was held at the Harvard Law School’s …