510(k) Tips and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for Medical Device Companies

What does the 510(k) process involve? How should medical device companies know if this is the right regulatory pathway to market? When should a premarket notification be submitted to FDA and how should it be prepared? What’s the Refuse To Accept (RTA) checklist? In this episode of the Global Medical Device Podcast, Mike Drues of Vascular Sciences joins host Jon Speer to tackle these and other common questions, and offer tips on the Premarket Notification 510(k) process to help companies achieve FDA clearance to sell their medical device in the United States marketplace. Some of the highlights of the show include: • What is a Premarket Notification 510(k)? Regulatory pathway to bring Class II medical devices (or Class I) using substantially equivalent predicate devices to market in the United States. • Different regulatory pathway options include: • 510(k) types: Traditional, Special, and Abbreviated/Performance • De Novo • Premarket Approval (PMA) • When to submit 510(k)? When development, design freeze, verification/validation testing, and documentation are done. FDA may accept promissory notes. • When to prepare and compile 510(k)? Requirements and other prudent engineering for safety and efficacy are met, such as clinical evidence and data. • RTA Checklists for 510(k)s: Process involves administrative and scientific/substantive reviews.