The US medtech regulatory landscape in 2019 was capped at both ends by news of an ambitious rewrite of risk management standard ISO 14971, which was finalized in December. The international standard – used by most manufacturers that make and distribute medical devices within the United States – instructs device makers on how to best put together a risk management program. Other news of interest to readers last year included a rewrite of the US FDA’s Quality System Regulation (QSR) to harmonize it with ISO 13485, expanded Medicare coverage, troubles with ethylene oxide (EtO) used to sterilize devices – and much more. Here are 2019’s 10 most popular US regulation and policy stories from Medtech Insight.

While a number of US states are taking actions that could potentially ban or limit ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization plants in their communities, the FDA, industry and others are raising the alarm that such moves could lead to a shortage of medical devices critical to patients.

While AdvaMed has remained relatively quiet over the recent closures of ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization facilities, the medical device industry advocacy group is taking on critics in Georgia, where two facilities have been paused to upgrade their operations to reduce EtO emissions. Critics – including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s editorial board – say the chemical is associated with increased risk for cancer for nearby residents, but AdvaMed and its supporters say there’s no evidence to back that up.