Measuring the impact of the FDA’s Regulation Proposal
With recent developments in technology, we have seen artificial intelligence and machine learning more commonly used across all aspects of our lives. Whether it’s our phones or smart speakers, this dynamic technology has applications in all industries, including the medical device industry. To ensure AI in medical devices can evolve while still protecting patient well-being and safety, the FDA recently released new information about its plan to regulate developments.
Looking to Implement AI into your Medical Device? Contact Us Now →
Artificial Intelligence vs. Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are two similar terms people commonly use interchangeably when discussing this type of software or technology, but they actually mean different things.
Artificial intelligence refers to any kind of technology deemed to be “intelligent,” or capable of understanding new data and adapting its functions accordingly. Machine learning refers — not to the device or software itself — but rather to the method scientists use to “teach” software to adapt to new information through learning and updating stages. Usually, machine learning is applied in the form of decision trees, where a certain action will always lead to a certain response and each action after follows a set path.
Researchers are now using machine learning to improve the efficiency of AI in medical devices. Practitioners often use different kinds of software to help them examine and treat patients, and AI as a part of medical device software is growing a little more every day. Machine learning allows AI devices to monitor patients, improve medical imaging software and even the potential to deliver certain treatments to patients.
However, AI doesn’t learn the same way humans do. AI software and algorithms are taught to adapt based on statistics and patterns they gather from experience. This capability means AI medical devices have the potential to develop very quickly as they receive and analyze risk management data in real-time and in real-life applications.
FDA Concerns About Artificial Intelligence in Medical Devices
There are two main types of technological algorithms:
- Locked algorithms: only understand information and analyze it based on the way they were programmed. If you ask a locked algorithm a question or input certain data, it will always offer the same solution or result.
- Adaptive algorithms: can respond and recognize new patterns or opportunities as it receives new data, and adjust it’s process or response accordingly.
Adaptive algorithms in medicine are currently causing the FDA the most concern. When companies that create software or medical devices give AI-based programs or products the freedom to examine or help treat patients by allowing them to respond to real-world situations and data, they have less control over what the AI learns and how it uses that information to adapt. If left unchecked or under-regulated, this could pose the possibility of changes developing that could create patient risk.
The FDA is currently working to develop a framework that will allow for the safe use of ever-adapting AI in the hospital setting. To make sure patients stay protected, FDA representatives have indicated that if an AI medical device is approved, it would have to be monitored constantly for changes in its algorithm. Making sure all the information the AI absorbs and analyzes stays transparent and malleable is crucial for maintaining a secure healthcare practice.
Challenges of Implementing AI Medical Devices
Another concern that artificial intelligence medical devices FDA regulations will address is helping AI respond better to individual patients. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Some illnesses or conditions may affect people differently.
This means some situations might confuse an AI machine or cause it to not analyze things properly. Researchers and the FDA must account for such gray areas and variables that could cause an AI device to malfunction or compromise the safety of patients. Programming an AI algorithm to understand cause and effect or to strategize using a decision tree can’t account for all potential factors.
The Future of AI in Medical Devices
The FDA is working to develop appropriate regulations for the use of Software as a Medical Device. Products that are driven by AI software or processes fall under this category, but given their unique ability to adapt to new data, they likely require separate scrutiny. As AI continues to evolve in the coming years, the FDA will have to keep a close watch on its applications and uses in the medical field to ensure patient protection.
About RCA’s Medical Device Consulting Services
The regulatory compliance process surrounding the medical device industry involves a strict adherence to pre/post market information throughout a device’s life cycle. Even a single compliance issue you have can turn into a significant effect on your business. Regulatory Compliance Associates can help guide you through any stage of the medical device consulting process, with capabilities during product development through the regulatory clearance/approval of your product.
Our team of over 500 medical device consulting Experts — including former FDA officials and regulatory compliance leaders in the field of medical device regulation — will work with your company to create a quality assurance and regulatory compliance approach tailored to your products and regulatory needs. Regulatory Compliance Associates works with international Fortune 100 companies, venture capital start ups, and companies of all sizes and shapes. our compliance enforcement solutions for law firms include remediation for warning letters, FDA 483’s, import bans or consent decrees. Very few regulatory compliance services have the same regulatory compliance expertise in a variety of medical fields.
Cybersecurity
For medical device manufacturers, technology can be a double-edged sword. The innovative technologies that elevate the quality of life for patients can also be used to potentially undermine the organization using the device. The consequences can affect the device itself if Regulatory Compliance Associates medtech consultants do not implement good IoT cybersecurity and FDA cybersecurity protocols.
At Regulatory Compliance Associates, we offer a wide variety of services for medical devices security to help ensure that your product is protected from cyber-attacks. With a well-planned design, along with full visibility of product development and the supply chain, Regulatory Compliance Associates medical device consultant Experts can help strengthen your device’s cybersecurity. We partner with medical device companies in each phase of the design cycle, including protecting inputs from threat exposure and hardening outputs for regulatory compliance & FDA submission approval of your medical technology.
- SaMD Consulting
- Threat Modeling
- Proof of Concept
- Quality Assurance Services
- TIR 57 & TIR 97
- ISO 62304
- ISO 27001
Regulatory Affairs
Regulatory affairs is Regulatory Compliance Associates® backbone, and we handle more submissions in a month than many manufacturers do in a lifetime. Our regulatory compliance consulting Experts have experience working with the FDA, global regulatory bodies and / or agencies, and notified bodies worldwide. Therefore, you can count on us for in-depth and up-to-date insights which increase speed-to-market.
As a trusted regulatory affairs consultant, our FDA veterans and industry experts represent Regulatory Compliance Associates® as one of the top medical device consulting firms. We’re here to help you navigate the difficulties associated with new product submissions. Regulatory Compliance Associates® medical device consulting company has expertise in both the approval process and post-approval support.
- New Product Approval
- Post-Approval Support
- Outsourced Staffing
- EU MDR
- Combination Products
Compliance Assurance
Increasingly, life science companies are feeling the pressure of greater scrutiny by regulators, and responding by developing sustainable compliance strategies. Whether it’s preparing for an audit, developing a response to an FDA finding, or remediation to an adverse event, Regulatory Compliance Associates® can help.
Our network of over 500 medical device consultant & FDA, MHRA & EMA veterans are industry professionals offers a unique blend of expertise. This allows Regulatory Compliance Associates® to handle both simple and complex regulatory compliance challenges within medical device consulting companies.
- Gap Assessments
- Internal Audits
- Employee Training
- Notified Body Response
- Data Integrity
Quality Assurance
Regulatory Compliance Associates® Quality Assurance consulting includes quality system assessments, strategy, implementations, and identification of quality metrics to ensure continuous improvement, aligning with your business needs and goals. Each Regulatory Compliance Associates® medical device consultant is a quality expert with experience spanning major corporations and start-ups. We know firsthand how to achieve, maintain, and improve quality, and we excel in transferring this knowledge to your organization.
In the medical devices field, quality assurance (QA) is more than merely ensuring the quality of a finished product. You need the tools to monitor and regulate every process from the design of a new product to continued quality compliance as the device is sent to market. At Regulatory Compliance Associates®, we offer you the quality assurance services you need to monitor these processes and ensure quality compliance every step of the way.
With more than 20 years experience working with medical device consulting companies, Regulatory Compliance Associates® trusted medical device quality assurance consultant team is fully equipped to handle your unique QA needs.
- ISO13485
- 21 CFR 210
- 21 CFR 211
- Outsourced Staffing
- MDSAP
- Facility Validation
- Equipment Validation
- Quality Metrics
Remediation Services
Regulatory Compliance Associates® is widely recognized within medical device consulting companies & the life science industry for our remediation services & support. Regulatory Compliance Associates® ability to help companies successfully resolve complex regulatory challenges have a proven track record of success. Our medical device consulting services include significant experience with the development of responses to 483 Observations, Warning Letters, Untitled Letters and Consent Decrees.
- Regulatory Action
- Regulatory Compliance
- Regulatory Enforcement
- Warning Letter
- 483 Observation
- Oversight Services
Our value goes beyond the initial response by helping companies successfully execute their action plans, develop an improved compliance culture tailored to the needs of their business, and ultimately move beyond the regulatory action to emerge as a stronger business. We negotiate difficult demands of remediation with insight and the clear advantage of our medical device consultant expertise and experience that makes partnering with Regulatory Compliance Associates® a competitive differentiator in the remediation space.
- Quality System
- Technical File
- Design History File
- Data Integrity
- cGMP
Strategic Consulting
Whether it’s a strategy, a technical plan, or project, Regulatory Compliance Associates® medical device consultancy can help ensure a successful project. Regulatory Compliance Associates® medical device strategy consulting can deliver your project on time, on budget, and you’re never embroiled in a costly mistake.
Our medical device consultant Experts are industry Experts are here to provide the unique insight you need before an M&A deal, through a staffing crisis and in every area of your product’s development and life cycle. As the trusted medical device manufacturing consultants of thousands of companies around the world, we have the knowledge and expertise needed to deliver exceptional results to your business — no matter your size or unique needs.
- Manufacturing Optimization
- Product Lifecycle Management
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- Due Diligence
- Device Vigilance
- Risk Management Plan
- Product Complaints
- Medical Information
About Regulatory Compliance Associates
Regulatory Compliance Associates® (RCA) provides medical device consulting to the following industries for resolution of life science challenges:
- Life Sciences
- Pharmaceutical
- Biologic & Biotechnology
- Sterile compounding
- Medical device
- Lab Testing
We understand the complexities of running a life science business and possess areas of expertise that include every facet of R&D, operations, regulatory affairs, quality, and manufacturing. We are used to working on the front lines and thriving in the scrutiny of FDA, Health Canada, MHRA and globally-regulated companies.
As your partners, we can negotiate the potential minefield of regulatory compliance and regulatory due diligence with insight, hindsight, and the clear advantage of our unique expertise and experience.
- Founded in 2000
- Headquartered in Wisconsin (USA)
- Expertise backed by over 500 industry subject matter experts
- Acquired by Sotera Health in 2021
About Sotera Health
The name Sotera Health was inspired by Soteria, the Greek goddess of safety, and reflects the Company’s unwavering commitment to its mission, Safeguarding Global Health®.
Sotera Health Company, along with its three best-in-class businesses – Sterigenics®, Nordion® and Nelson Labs®, is a leading global provider of mission-critical end-to-end sterilization solutions and lab testing and advisory services for the healthcare industry. With a combined tenure across our businesses of nearly 200 years and our industry-recognized scientific and technological expertise, we help to ensure the safety of over 190 million patients and healthcare practitioners around the world every year.
We are a trusted partner to more than 5,800 customers in over 50 countries, including 40 of the top 50 medical device companies and 8 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies.
Commitment to Quality
Our Certificate of Registration demonstrates that our Quality Management System meets the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, an internationally recognized standard of quality.
To begin the Regulatory Compliance Associates® scoping process today, please enter your information in the blue form below and click the submit button at the bottom of the webpage.