‘Paradoxical’ FDA Recalls Report Credits Industry Collaboration For Improved Quality, But Uncovers Troubling Data About Older Devices
This article was originally published in The Silver Sheet
Executive Summary
Medical devices on the market for more than five years are recalled more often than younger ones, according to a recent FDA 10-year retrospective report on corrections and removals. “There is an intuitive appeal to the argument that devices that come to the market in an early point in their lifespan – say, the first year – are more likely to be subject to recalls, but that is simply not true,” CDRH Office of Compliance Director Steven Silverman says. Other notable report findings: troubles with components and software are the leading causes for most recalls; problems with AEDs, ventilators and infusion pumps have triggered an increase in high-risk class I recalls; and domestic manufacturers recall products at a much greater volume than those outside the United States.