April 18, 2017
By Karl Vahey, Director of Compliance, International RA/QA, Covidien
Why should medical device manufacturers perform failure investigations? One reason is that it is a regulatory requirement. The Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR 820) in areas such as Non-Conforming Product, Corrective and Preventive Action and Complaint Files describes the requirements for failure investigations. Performing effective failure investigations is also good business practice which can lead to reduction in scrap and rework, process improvements and the elimination of recurring issue
April 17, 2017
By Denise Dion, Senior Consultant, EduQuest, Inc.
At first glance, FDA's Quality System Regulations (QSR) for medical devices - contained in 21 CFR 820 - may make your eyes cross and your stomach churn. The rules are intimidating, yes - but impossible to follow, no.
Pharmaceutical companies that promote their products for off-label use continue to be the subject of intense regulatory scrutiny. But they are no longer alone. Recent statements by government prosecutors suggest an increased focus on the sales and marketing practices of device companies. The medical device industry should expect heightened scrutiny from the "usual" actors, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and
April 17, 2017
By Dan O'Leary, President, Ombu Enterprises
Process validation is an essential part of medical device manufacturing but doesn't always receive the attention it deserves (and requires). The regulations provide the requirements (FDA QSR 820.75 and ISO 13485 7.5.2), but often manufacturers don't completely understand them and don't fully implement them. The consequences can be audit findings from a Notified Body or Inspectional Observations on an FDA 483.
With the unsteady economy and the ever-changing regulatory world that we find ourselves in, strong design controls within the medical device and biotech industries are a necessity. When faced with a multi-million dollar recall, no medical device company wants to wish it had instituted more robust design controls. Therefore, having a solid design control system is a must in the world in which we live.
IIn the medical device industry, guidance documents set forth by the FDA are often the skeletal backbone for medical device design and development. When a new guidance emerges, the med device industry pays attention.
The end result objective of a corrective and preventative action (CAPA) is, quite simply, a solution to the issue from which the CAPA was generated. If it is not driving toward a solution, a CAPA is a waste of time and resources. For organizations in regulatory environments, CAPA is an overarching umbrella—all control points flow through to the CAPA system.
Consumer complaints are at the heart of every product recall. Whether it's Merck's voluntary recall of the pain medication, Vioxx, or the Class I recall of counterfeit LifeScan blood glucose test strips, chances are both actions stemmed from complaints.The reporting of side effects or adverse events is incorporated in FDA regulations. The agency operates MedWatch, a safety information and adverse-event reporting program that allows health-care professionals and the public to report serious probl
1. Inefficient System of Communication. You need effective communication to be able to implement change properly. For a company that relies on a paper-based or partially electronic system, this is the typical scenario: Once or twice a week, up to 15 people who constitute the Change Control Board meet for two hours each time to discuss engineering and other document changes. Before and after each meeting, documents are routed using the inter-office mail system or via e-mail. The problem wi
Document management is such a fundamental need in any FDA compliance effort, and it poses so many challenges, that we could easily discuss the ?top 20? or more problems that plague life science companies. But in the interest of space, here are the top five document control issues that most companies complain about and some tips on solving them.
In June 2007, the U.S. Federal Drug Administration issued the Dietary Supplement Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) Final Rule (21 CFR Part 111). In essence, the final rule requires that the proper controls be in place for dietary supplements during manufacturing, packaging, labeling, and holding operations.
The medical device and pharmaceutical industries are built upon process orientation to complete tasks in a uniform and documented fashion. Both industries also depend upon a systematic series of linked and reproducible activities completed by trained people to enable inputs to become outputs and outputs to realize a return on investment.So, how does process mapping help these industries in turning inputs into predictable outputs that would help them comply with regulations, as well as realize co
Training employees to perform tasks in a laboratory or technical environment is critical to the success of any regulated business. Assessing employee skill levels is one way to see if employees are comprehending what they are learning.
April 13, 2017
By David Hofstetter, Manager, Learning and Development, New England Organ Bank
Keeping up with the changes and the training in tissue and organ banking is an ongoing process. We know what works well and what doesn't. We know with a field-based staff that classroom training is difficult to pull off when trying to coordinate everyone's schedules and of course working around the case load. What we have found is that online learning or on-demand learning does work. This allows all of the staff to access training when and where they need it. We currently offer the following typ
April 4, 2017
By Paul Sanderson, Solutions Consultants Manager, MasterControl
“Quality management” is one of those terms that sounds so simple and esoteric at the same time, like DNA or free cash flow. I’m pretty sure I know what those terms mean until I start explaining them to someone.
