1. Medtech Insight
  2. >>Policy & Regulation
  3. >>Regulation

Software Fast Track? US FDA Asks Developers To Envision 'Precheck' Program

Developers of "software as a medical device" are unique to other device-makers in how fast their products are developed and updated. FDA digital health leader Bakul Patel is asking companies to provide input on the agency's idea for an expedited pathway for software that would be based on established trust.

train fast run on railway track in sunny day

Companies making software that qualifies as a medical device could one day have access to a special fast-track FDA review pathway, but, first, the agency wants input from stakeholders on what such a pathway should look like. If all goes well, the concept could even be applied to products beyond "software as a medical device" (SAMD).

FDA officials have recently been discussing how to deal with unique challenges of product development faced by makers of SAMDs. The matter has been a strong focus among regulators globally. FDA recently issued an International Medical Device Regulators Forum consensus guideline as a draft guidance on SAMDs clinical evaluation. (Also see "US FDA Plan For Adopting International Software Guideline Draws Industry Concern" - Medtech Insight, 10 January, 2017.) But there are particular considerations within the US

More from Regulation

‘Help Us Deregulate’: RFK Announces RFI For Trimming Government Health Agencies

 
• By Brian Bossetta

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is asking the public to help cut waste across the government’s health agencies. Kennedy announced a 60-day comment period allowing the public to take part in a broader federal initiative to reduce regulations and increase transparency.

MedTech Europe’s Bisazza Urges Action As US Tariffs Jeopardize Critical Global Supply Chains

 
• By Amanda Maxwell

The intricate assembly of medical devices, often involving over 1,000 globally sourced components, faces severe disruption due to new US tariffs. These barriers could halt production and devastate small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), MedTech Europe’s CEO, Oliver Bisazza, warns in an interview with Medtech Insight.

UK Medtech Regulators Must Ensure Certainty So Businesses Can Plan Their Futures

 
• By Ashley Yeo

With medtech businesses typically managing investment cycles on a three- to five-year basis, local regulatory processes and forward costs of market entry must offer an attractive environment in which companies can plan for growth, says McDermott Will and Emery’s partner and head of healthcare and life sciences, Sharon Lamb. Broad-scale improvements to NICE’s evaluation offerings would similarly enhance the UK’s value to innovators.

Faster Device Certification Among Keys To Unlocking Innovation In EU MedTech Sector

 
• By Amanda Maxwell

While MedTech Europe sharpens its focus on what the EU most urgently needs to advance the medtech market in four targeted measures, the European Commission has also unveiled four priorities for 2025.

More from Policy & Regulation

‘Help Us Deregulate’: RFK Announces RFI For Trimming Government Health Agencies

 
• By Brian Bossetta

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is asking the public to help cut waste across the government’s health agencies. Kennedy announced a 60-day comment period allowing the public to take part in a broader federal initiative to reduce regulations and increase transparency.

MedTech Europe’s Bisazza Urges Action As US Tariffs Jeopardize Critical Global Supply Chains

 
• By Amanda Maxwell

The intricate assembly of medical devices, often involving over 1,000 globally sourced components, faces severe disruption due to new US tariffs. These barriers could halt production and devastate small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), MedTech Europe’s CEO, Oliver Bisazza, warns in an interview with Medtech Insight.

UK Medtech Regulators Must Ensure Certainty So Businesses Can Plan Their Futures

 
• By Ashley Yeo

With medtech businesses typically managing investment cycles on a three- to five-year basis, local regulatory processes and forward costs of market entry must offer an attractive environment in which companies can plan for growth, says McDermott Will and Emery’s partner and head of healthcare and life sciences, Sharon Lamb. Broad-scale improvements to NICE’s evaluation offerings would similarly enhance the UK’s value to innovators.